![]() It’s a great partnership for us, and we’ve been treated well by everyone at the bank.” Our block, because we’re right next door, is just a little community in and of itself. “I wouldn’t say we have one banker – we have like a family at the bank is how I would describe it,” Koch said. ![]() Since then, it has felt all the benefits of banking with a locally owned community bank. In fact, it’s part of the reason why 605 Running moved its business banking over to FNB. That sense of improving their communities, and not to mention being right next door to each other, was what led to a natural partnership between The First National Bank in Sioux Falls and 605 Running Co. “When we approached the bank specifically about Skedaddle, they were all-in to support our events, and they saw a natural tie-in on how being an active community with health and wellness at the forefront is really a successful community,” Koch said. To bring the race to a larger scale and attract runners from all over the region, 605 Running realized it would need partnerships from other businesses and organizations in Sioux Falls, which is when The First National Bank in Sioux Falls came on the scene. The result? An annual event that now hosts up to 1,300 runners from 37 states who come to Sioux Falls to run 13.1 miles. In the spring of 2018, they gave it a shot. One of those big dreams was to hold a race: a half-marathon. “I am the visionary I’ve always got big plans and big dreams.” “I brought that into the business model for the guys with the running store because they’re very analytical business partners, which is great for me because I’m sort of the other side of that spectrum,” Koch explained. “We were sort of in the right place at the right time to really activate a lot of that energy and bring our community together.” “For us, we came into the Sioux Falls market in the running world at a unique time, where we have a strong running tradition and history, we just haven’t been as organized,” Koch said. The business was taking off at the same time as the running movement in Sioux Falls. A year and half later, he became a part owner, and the timing couldn’t have been more ideal. Within a month of starting at the store, which opened in 2014, Koch began working full time. “I thought their business was really cool, and so I decided I wanted to work there part time.” I had run a half-marathon, but I had always played other sports,” Koch said. “I was not necessarily a runner at that time. was the first recipient of the program, and Koch loved their business proposal so much that he wanted to get even more involved. Koch was involved with the program and has been active in the broader downtown business community for 19 years through his family’s business, The Cookie Jar Eatery. That’s when they applied for the Downtown Sioux Falls Incubator Program. in Lincoln, Neb., and wanted to bring something similar to Sioux Falls. Having grown up running, they were frequent customers of the Lincoln Running Co. Son of restaurant owners meets some serious runnersĪside from being brothers, there is one thing that Logan, Grant and Paul Watley all have in common: They love to run. It’s more than just a place to buy running shoes and gear – it’s a community that extends far beyond the store walls. But there’s more to this Phillips Avenue store than meets the eye. Now a part-owner of 605 Running Co., Koch and his business partners, Logan, Grant and Paul Watley, have built a successful full-service retail business. But when he met three brothers with a passion for running, it all changed. Working at a running store wasn’t on Greg Koch’s list of career plans. This paid piece is sponsored by The First National Bank in Sioux Falls.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |