Black Hills Energy receives Sanford Lab’s CORES Award

Since 1883, Black Hills Energy (BHE) has been one of the leading providers of energy within the Black Hills region. Over time, the company grew, spreading into eight states and hundreds of communities. And as it grew, it set a lofty goal: to serve the communities and people of the region.  

“It starts with our mission to improve life with energy,” said Marc Eyre, director of electric operations at BHE. “It’s about more than providing energy, it’s about improving the ways we serve our customers and our communities.”

BHE’s commitment to community spans decades and includes educational programming, energy assistance to customers in need and investments in the environment. In 2019 alone, the company’s total charitable giving and in-kind donations reached $5.5 million, with an impact on 824 communities throughout their eight-state region. But what BHE is really proud of is the generosity of its employees. Over the past year, employees donated more than $500,000 through the United Way and nearly 1,000 BHE employees volunteered within their communities. 

That commitment to community has garnered the company many accolades and much recognition over the past decades. This year, BHE was named the 2020 Outstanding Philanthropic Corporation by the Association of Fundraising Professionals of South Dakota.

And for its commitment to STEM education within the Black Hills region, the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) announced in October that BHE would receive the 2020 Communication and OutReach Experiences in Science (CORES) Award.

“This award was unexpected.  We are very excited and very humbled,” Eyre said. “Our roots go back to Homestake—that's how we got our start. We so appreciate having a world-renowned science and research institution right in our backyard. We are grateful for this partnership and look forward to working with SURF in the future."

The CORES Award is given annually to an individual, group, business or organization that supports STEM education and outreach within the region. The recipient is selected by a committee that takes into consideration ongoing support of science education—whether through sponsorships or service—a passion for science education and a visible commitment to science outreach in the region. 

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“We truly appreciate Black Hills Energy’s strong commitment to sharing the world-leading science being performed at SURF with science learners of all ages,” said Mike Headley, executive director of SURF. “They’ve been a great partner for more than a decade—from when we first began to build the Sanford Underground Research Facility all the way through today as we construct the largest science experiment ever attempted on U.S. soil.”

Since 2009, BHE has been a partner for Neutrino Day, Sanford Lab’s free science festival, sponsoring the event both financially and with a cadre of volunteers.

“Our employees are excited to come out for a Saturday in July because Neutrino Day is such a cool event and there are so many things to learn,” said Marsha Nichols, Business Development account manager.

“I take real pride in our relationship with SURF,” said Mutch Usera, Sr. Program Manager-Community Relations with Black Hills Energy. “When Neutrino Day got started, SURF reached out to us and we saw opportunities to partner—and not just as a sponsor, but as a partner. We’ve been doing that ever since.”  

BHE’s commitment to STEM education also includes public outreach. In 2019, Eyre gave a presentation to a full house at the Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center for SURF's Deep Talks series. The presentation focused on BHE's past, present and future. And their commitment goes beyond Sanford Lab to include a partnership with Destination ImagiNation, Inc., which provides educational programming for K-12 students that encourages creativity, teamwork and problem-solving; a career technology fair for eighth-grade students in Rapid City, Junior Achievement and other STEM-related activities in schools throughout the region.

Additionally, BHE collaborates with the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology on the Women in Science Conference, sponsors Black Hills State University’s SD CEO, supports women in science programs, provides scholarships for graduating seniors and undergraduates, and hires 30-40 interns every year.

“It comes down to our mission and values,” Erye said. “We’ve been a long-time community member and we’ll continue to support our communities and customers in the long term. And this is important to our workforce as well. We are always looking for innovative energy technologies and better ways to serve our customers into the future.”

The CORES Award will be presented during Nobel Day, which will be held virtually on Thursday, Dec. 10, beginning at 5:40 pm. The event will also include a donor recognition portion and a talk by Nobel Laureate Dr. Art MacDonald, who received a share of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2015.

To learn more about BHE’s commitment to community, click this link.