The Aberdeen Business Pitch Competition will reopen in early 2026.
2025 Winner:
Samantha Wipf with
Optimal Performance!
Congratulations to all of our finalists for bringing their best to the 2025 Aberdeen Business Pitch Competition! Each business put in an incredible amount of time, effort, and passion, and it showed! We’re proud to celebrate their hard work, innovative ideas, and commitment to building something great right here in Northeast South Dakota.
2025 Finalists
frodo
Robin Niewenhuis
Mattress Medic Mobile
Shaun McNeely
Optimal Performance
Samantha Wipf
Sunrise Greens, LLC
Samantha St. Clair &
Nicholas Tucker
TopDown Drone Services
Jonah Schmidt
Prizes sponsored by the Aberdeen Development Corporation.
First Place: $10,000
Finalist: $1,000
Honorable Mention
Chad Evans - Centennial Homes
Eldon Swingler - Insurance Plus
Kae McNeil - Retired Bank Executive
Dr. Sal Villegas - Northern State University
Taylor Sumption - Maple Valley Foods
Round 2 Judges
Katie Washnok - Blackout Industries
Kelly Weaver - Small Business Development Center
Kristie Martin - Dacotah Bank
Laure Swanson - South Dakota Governor’s Office of Economic Development
Mark Gederos - RhodesAnderson Insurance
Paul Forst - Agtegra Cooperative
