From Army Farm Kid to Running a 3rd-Generation Steel Company | P&M Steel

From Army Farm Kid to Running a 3rd-Generation Steel Company | P&M Steel

Every building in Sioux Falls is standing on something you'll never see — the steel. In this episode of 2 B's in a Podcast, Brad and Brian Jans of Jans Corporation sit down with Mike DeJong, President of P&M Steel, to talk about the work behind the walls: structural steel fabrication, the backbone that holds up the city's schools, stores, and skyline. P&M Steel started in 1970 and is now a third-generation, employee-owned (ESOP) company in Sioux Falls. Mike's own path there wasn't a straight line — he grew up on a family farm in Platte, South Dakota, spent roughly 30 years in the military and National Guard, deployed alongside his own father in 2003, and met his wife on deployment before working his way up to run the company. This is a real conversation about what it actually takes to fabricate steel on a deadline, why communication makes or breaks a project, and how a blue-collar trade is changing with technology, tariffs, and a tight market. In this episode: * The P&M Steel story — three generations and an employee-owned shop * From the Army to the steel floor: Mike's road to running the company * Deploying with his dad — and a Vietnam vet finally getting his welcome home * Why steel is the backbone of a building (and the parts nobody sees) * When is the right time to build? Reading the shop, the schedule, and the market * How 20–25 people touch a single project from bid to delivery * The real timeline: 12–16 weeks from drawings to steel on site * Tariffs, interest rates, and the risk of buying steel before approval * Building schools — including the Harrisburg Freshman Academy his daughter sat in first * Technology and automation: from hand layout to one machine that does it all * Welding programs, young talent, and the future of the trade * Family business, succession, and letting your kids find their own path * Rapid fire: steel vs. concrete vs. wood, and what GCs get wrong ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00 The steel keeps getting bigger 00:52 Welcome to 2 B's in a Podcast 01:23 Meet Mike DeJong & P&M Steel 01:55 Three generations of P&M Steel 02:55 From the Army to running a steel company 04:01 Growing up on a Platte, SD farm 05:55 Deploying alongside his own dad 07:01 What people don't understand about steel 07:43 When is the right time to build? 09:17 Bigger city, bigger steel 10:05 Surviving COVID 11:00 Choosing partners — why communication wins 13:27 The backbone nobody sees 14:53 Building schools & the Harrisburg Freshman Academy 15:44 How many hands touch one project 16:45 Drawings to delivery: the real timeline 17:58 Steel mills, buying, and tariffs 20:57 Welding programs & young talent 22:18 Technology: from hand layout to one machine 24:24 Family, kids & finding your own path 26:41 Back to the farm? Cattle, small towns & the hat 29:15 Rapid fire 31:01 The toughest builds: dairy barn trusses & curved steel 33:01 Backlog, paint, finishes & galvanizing 33:57 EOS and the 5–10 year vision 36:18 Employee-owned: what ESOP really means 36:55 Military leadership on the shop floor 38:54 The future of PNM Steel 39:52 Where to find PNM Steel 40:56 Small jobs, big jobs — steel for your home too 41:37 Keep building 🏗️ About the guest Mike DeJong is the President of P&M Steel, a third-generation, employee-owned structural steel fabrication company in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, serving the region from Pierre to Aberdeen and into Minnesota and Iowa. 📍 4401 Northwest Port Ave, Sioux Falls, SD 🌐 p,steel.net 🎙️ About the show 2 B's in a Podcast is hosted by Brad and Brian Jans of Jans Corporation — a Sioux Falls commercial construction company. We go beyond the blueprint to talk about construction, family business, leadership, ranching, and the people building South Dakota. Connect with Jans Corporation: 🌐 https://www.janscorp.com [https://www.janscorp.com] 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/company/jans-corp/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/jans-corp/] 📘 https://www.facebook.com/janscorp/ [https://www.facebook.com/janscorp/] 📸 https://www.instagram.com/janscorporation/ [https://www.instagram.com/janscorporation/] If something here resonated, like the episode, share it with someone in the trades, and subscribe for new conversations every week. #P&MSteel #SteelFabrication #SiouxFalls #SouthDakota #StructuralSteel

Nyberg's Ace Hardware: 7 Stores, One Family, and a Cat Named Kevin

Nyberg's Ace Hardware has been Sioux Falls' helpful place for 68 years — across 7 stores, three generations, and one very memorable cat. This is the story. In this episode of 2 B's in a Podcast, Brad and Brian Jans (Jans Corporation) sit down with Kevin Nyberg and his daughter Kelly Nyberg at the flagship 41st & Minnesota store to talk about how a 1958 wrong-turn detour from Hibbing, Minnesota turned into one of South Dakota's most recognized family businesses — Nyberg's Ace Hardware, Nyberg's Dakota Workwear, and Nyberg's Ace Handyman Services. 🔨 What you'll learn: - How Kevin's dad picked Sioux Falls over Torrington, Wyoming in 1958 — and why being the first retailer on 41st Street in 1969 still pays off today - The full history of the downtown Nyberg's Ace location (yes, the old Sid's Liquor — with the Texaco pump, bakery pans, and Al Neuharth / USA Today / Sodak Sports backstory) - Why "Don't chase, Nyberg's Ace is the place" still drives every location decision — and where the next three Sioux Falls stores might land (57th & Highway 100 is the one everyone asks about) - Kelly Nyberg's path from LA stand-in for Selena Gomez to Dakota News Now host to running hiring and marketing at the family business - How the team keeps 27- and 40-year employees — and why hiring people with disabilities is core to the Nyberg's culture - Hot Classic Nights — 10th year of the downtown car show benefiting the Shriners - Why Kevin's dad was the first to bring Weber Grills to South Dakota, and why Ego battery-powered lawn equipment is flying off the shelves right now - The Janss Corp + Nyberg's build history — 10th & Sycamore, Sartoma & 41st, and what goes into laying out a hardware store - The story behind a cat named Kevin Nyberg (you'll have to listen) ⏱️ Chapters: 00:00 Inside the downtown store: Texaco pumps, bakery pans & Sid's history 00:53 Welcome — meet Kevin and Kelly Nyberg 01:52 The buffalo Hawaiian shirt story 03:39 Is anyone nervous about doing a podcast? 04:10 1958: Hibbing, a wrong turn, and how Sioux Falls beat Torrington Wyoming 05:53 1969 — Nyberg's becomes the first retailer on 41st Street 07:55 Kevin's first paycheck at age 9 — pulling every bolt out of every bin 09:12 Helpful is the culture — traditions Kevin keeps alive 11:05 "Don't chase, Nyberg's Ace is the place" — convenience, quality, helpful 12:25 The downtown store — Sid's Liquor, Texaco, and the USA Today connection 14:14 Hot Classic Nights — 10 years of downtown car shows 16:10 The "golden ticket" — three Sioux Falls parcels and what's next 18:36 Kelly Nyberg: from LA acting to Dakota News Now 22:31 The cat named Kevin Nyberg 26:36 The future of Nyberg's Ace — Eric, the next generation 28:14 The team, the culture, and the 27- and 40-year employees 31:10 Word-of-mouth hiring and why retention is up 60% 32:48 What Sioux Falls is doing right 34:35 The Jans Corporation x Nyberg's build history 36:37 Inside the store layout — visual merchandising the helpful way 39:35 Advice for multi-generational family business 41:10 Family rules and Kelly as "interim CEO" 43:13 What's next — 57th & Highway 100 44:07 Best sellers — Ego, Weber, and Poppy's Popcorn 48:09 Rapid-fire: historical finds at the downtown store 49:14 Who's the better griller? 50:22 The one unwritten rule of working with dad 52:39 Wrapping up 🏢 About the guests: Kevin Nyberg is the second-generation owner of Nyberg's Ace Hardware in Sioux Falls, South Dakota — a 68-year-old family business with five Ace locations (41st & Minnesota, 12th & Kiwanis, 10th & Sycamore, Downtown, Sartoma & 41st), plus Nyberg's Dakota Workwear, Nyberg's Ace Handyman Services, a Watertown store, and a B2B supply division. Kelly Nyberg is on-air at Dakota News Now (segments and the quarterly "Welcome Home" show), and leads hiring and marketing at Nyberg's Ace. 🎙️ About 2 B's in a Podcast: 2 B's in a Podcast is hosted by Brad and Brian Jans of Jans Corporation — a Sioux Falls-based commercial construction company. We talk beyond the blueprint about family business, the construction world, ranching, and what keeps people building and moving forward. 🔗 Connect: - Nyberg's Ace Hardware → https://www.nybergsace.com - Jans Corporation → https://www.janscorp.com - Subscribe for new episodes weekly 👍 If something here resonated — a story, a stat, or the cat — like the video, share it with someone in the trades or in a family business, and drop a comment below. #NybergsAceHardware #SiouxFalls #FamilyBusiness #SouthDakota #AceHardware

Sioux Falls Police Chief Jon Thum on Crime & Growth

What if Sioux Falls is actually getting safer — not more dangerous — and the perception gap is the real story? In this full episode of 2 B's in a Podcast, hosts Brad and Brian Jans (owners of Jans Corporation, a Sioux Falls commercial construction company) sit down with Sioux Falls Police Chief Jon Thum for a candid, wide-ranging conversation about policing, growth, civic responsibility, and what's actually happening inside one of America's fastest-growing small cities. Chief Thum has spent 20 years with the Sioux Falls Police Department. He grew up at 16th and Duluth in Pettigrew Heights — the same neighborhood he would later patrol as a young officer. Lincoln High School. University of Sioux Falls. A sales job he hated. And the moment he and his wife both pivoted into the work they felt called to do. Twenty years in, he says it was absolutely the right call. What you'll hear in this episode: The numbers vs. the perception. Sioux Falls violent crime is at a six-year per capita low. Property crime is at a per capita low. The city is adding 5,000–6,000 people a year and is now larger than Des Moines proper — yet the narrative many people carry is that crime is getting worse. Chief Thum unpacks why click-driven news and social media drive perception more than statistics. The mentorship gap. He and Mayor Paul TenHaken pushed for 75 mentors across three Title I schools. In a city of 225,000+, only 36 people signed up. The Chief is honest about his frustration — and equally honest that policing alone can't solve the upstream issues that show up downstream as crime. Camp Postcard. A program nobody talks about. For five years, SFPD school resource officers have identified at-risk sixth graders and sent them to camp counseled by cops, with measurable downstream effects on behavior, school performance, and trust in law enforcement. What keeps the Chief up at night. Officer safety in an era when more weapons are being brandished against officers, the gap between parole and meaningful supervision, and the conversation Sioux Falls needs to have about recidivism. The Christmas Eve story. A domestic-violence case that ended in a SWAT call-out in Marion, South Dakota — and an entire team that showed up on Christmas Eve without anyone asking twice. The Chief's reframe of "family first" hits different once you hear it. What cops don't control. The laws. The Chief on why a basic civics refresher might be the most underrated public-safety reform in the country, and the one law he'd write today if he could (hint: smoke-shop synthetic drugs). Construction, crime, and a story Brad and Brian know firsthand. The episode closes with a real Jans Corporation case study — a GPS tracker hidden inside a decoy generator on a Sioux Falls jobsite, tracked off Cliff Avenue, leading to the recovery of a substantial cache of stolen property. Plus the time three Jans Corp decking guns disappeared from a site and reappeared in an apartment closet after a fire alarm. Real lessons for construction companies, homeowners, and small businesses on how to stop being easy targets. Technology, body cams, license plate readers. Why Madison, South Dakota currently has more LPRs than Sioux Falls — and how that technology is already moving cases. Jail and training facility design. Why the new Sioux Falls public safety training center came in at the right time, and what modern correctional and training architecture makes possible for staff and inmates alike. About the guest: Jon Thum is the Chief of the Sioux Falls Police Department, a 20-year veteran of the department who previously served on SWAT and rose through patrol, investigations, and command. A lifelong Sioux Falls resident, Lincoln High School and University of Sioux Falls graduate, he leads a department of more than 340 people serving a city of 225,000+. About 2 B's in a Podcast: 2 B's in a Podcast is hosted by Brad and Brian Jans, owners of Jans Corporation — a Sioux Falls-based commercial construction company. Each episode, the Jans brothers sit down with family business owners, founders, and community leaders across South Dakota to talk about building things that last: businesses, buildings, partnerships, and the community itself. Connect with the Sioux Falls Police Department: Website: https://www.siouxfalls.gov/government/departments/police Non-emergency: 605-367-7000 · Emergency: 911 Connect with Jans Corporation: Website: https://www.janscorp.com Chapters: 00:00 McGruff makes a cameo 00:32 Welcome to 2 B's in a Podcast 01:42 How Jon got into law enforcement 06:01 The identical twin brother story 09:11 Sioux Falls growth — and what the crime numbers actually say 12:30 The mentorship gap: 36 sign-ups in a city of 225,000 13:48 Staffing a police force for a city the size of Des Moines 16:54 Recruiting and the national narrative around policing 19:11 What keeps the Chief up at night 21:21 The Christmas Eve hostage call in Marion, SD 23:48 The biggest misconception about crime in Sioux Falls 27:05 Camp Postcard — the program nobody talks about 29:55 What cops don't actually control 31:14 The one law Chief Thum would write today 35:30 An early-career story you won't forget 38:50 Mental health calls and what the system left to police 43:00 Body cams, vehicle GPS, and solving cases with footage 47:24 Jail and prison design — why it matters 51:21 Inside the new Sioux Falls public safety training center 53:57 Construction site crime and a Jans Corp GPS bait sting 1:00:28 Phishing, payroll fraud, and the new crime landscape 1:03:50 Lock your doors, lights, and cameras 1:04:42 The Jans Corp decking guns story 1:06:35 The best part of the job 1:07:11 Cop TV show recs 1:09:11 What criminals hope you don't know 1:10:26 Closing thanks

Why Sioux Falls Keeps Growing | Jeff Griffin, Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce | 2 B's in a Podcast

What makes Sioux Falls one of the fastest-growing business communities in the Midwest? Why are companies, entrepreneurs, families, and developers continuing to invest in South Dakota? And what does it actually take to build a city where business, community, leadership, and opportunity all grow together? In this episode of 2 B's in a Podcast, Brad Jans and Brian Jans of Jans Corporation sit down with Jeff Griffin, President and CEO of the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce, for a wide-ranging conversation about economic development, workforce challenges, political leadership, business advocacy, and the future of Sioux Falls. Jeff shares his journey from Ohio to South Dakota, his background in public service and community leadership, and how he became one of the most influential voices in Sioux Falls business and economic development. Together, they unpack what many leaders around the country call Sioux Falls' "secret sauce"—the unique culture of collaboration between business leaders, elected officials, entrepreneurs, developers, educators, and community organizations. This conversation explores what's working, what challenges lie ahead, and what it will take to keep Sioux Falls growing over the next decade. In this episode, we discuss: • Jeff Griffin's journey to Sioux Falls • What the Chamber of Commerce actually does • The biggest misconceptions about business advocacy • Why Sioux Falls continues to attract people, businesses, and investment • Public-private partnerships that shaped Sioux Falls • How Forward Sioux Falls helped transform the city • TIF (Tax Increment Financing) explained • Workforce development challenges in South Dakota • Recruiting talent to the Midwest • The role of relationships in economic development • Why agribusiness remains critical to South Dakota's economy • Political division, leadership, and civic responsibility • The future of Sioux Falls over the next 5–10 years • Advice for entrepreneurs, business owners, and future community leaders Whether you're a business owner, entrepreneur, contractor, developer, community leader, or someone curious about why Sioux Falls continues to grow, this episode offers an inside look at the people and partnerships shaping one of America's most dynamic regional economies. About 2 B's in a Podcast: Hosted by Brad Jans and Brian Jans of Jans Corporation, 2 B's in a Podcast explores construction, entrepreneurship, family business, leadership, ranching, and the people building South Dakota. New episodes feature business owners, builders, entrepreneurs, civic leaders, and community changemakers from Sioux Falls and across the Midwest. Connect with Jans Corporation: Website: https://janscorp.com YouTube: Jans Corporation If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone building something meaningful.

From Med School to 100,000 Sq Ft: Matt Thornton on Taking Over the Family Business

Matt Thornton had eight East Coast med school interviews lined up. A week before the first one, he took his dad to lunch and asked if it would be weird to walk away from medicine to stay in the family flooring business. His dad said he was cool with it. Matt never looked back. That was 1997. In 2016, he bought his parents out completely. Today, Thornton Flooring operates out of a 100,000+ square foot showroom off I-29 in Tea, South Dakota, with additional locations in Sioux City and Rapid City — grown from the single garage stall where his parents started the business in the early 1980s. Brad and Brian Jans of Jans Corporation sit down with Matt for a real conversation about taking over a family business, working side-by-side with your parents for 15+ years, and what it actually takes to grow something your family built without losing what made it worth building in the first place. In this episode: * Why Matt walked away from medicine to join his parents' flooring business * Working alongside his mom and dad for over 15 years — and the day his mom "quit" over lunch * Buying his parents out in 2016 and what that transition actually looked like * The values his parents instilled that he still leads with today — "you wear your name with pride" * Why culture is the thing he protects most as the business grows * Going from a 40,000 sq ft warehouse to a 100,000+ sq ft showroom across three states * Staying growth-motivated even after building the business he always dreamed of * How Bob Shaw, founder of Shaw Industries and now Engineered Floors, still meets with customers at nearly 90 years old * Surrounding yourself with people smarter than you — and letting them carry the business with you * What's next for Thornton Flooring in the next 3, 5, and 10 years Guest: Matt Thornton, Owner, Thornton Flooring Hosts: Brad Jans & Brian Jans, Jans Corporation Visit Thornton Flooring: thorntonflooring.com Locations: Tea, SD (I-29 exit) | Sioux City, IA | Rapid City, SD 2 B's in a Podcast is real conversations with family business owners, community leaders, and the people building South Dakota. Produced in Sioux Falls, SD Hosted by Brad and Brian Jans of Jans Corporation commercial construction built on relationships.