WATERTOWN - A new building on the campus of Lake Area Technical College in Watertown will honor First PREMIER Bank CEO Dana Dykhouse, one of the state’s strongest supporters of technical education.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held July 12 for the Dana J. Dykhouse Business Center of Learning. The building will house the school’s Business, Financial Services and General Education programs. It will also provide an anchor for the school’s new Archway Complex, which will tie the campus together via a walkway across Arrow Avenue.

Dana Dykhouse has played an important role in advancing technical education in South Dakota and has been a strong voice for legislative support and funding. He is the current chair of the South Dakota Board of Technical Education and chairs the Build Dakota Scholarship board. “Technical education is essential to our state’s continued growth and success,” Dykhouse said. “It helps provide a sustainable workforce and it fills essential jobs. I am so pleased to see Lake Area Tech’s continued success and I’m especially honored to be a part of this project.”

Lake Area Technical College President Mike Cartney said, “We are truly honored. PREMIER and Dana have been great friends of Lake Area Tech and this community. It is fitting that the business building be named after an individual that has given so much to our college and the state of South Dakota.”

Funding for the Dana J. Dykhouse Business Center of Learning is a private/public initiative. First PREMIER Bank and PREMIER Bankcard provided an $8 million gift and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem allocated an additional one-time funding of $7.5 million to assist with the Archway project. When complete, the 50,000 square foot complex will allow space to relocate programs, accommodate growth, and add capacity for 250 additional students.