RESPEC Honored with Business Expansion Award from Elevate Rapid City

RESPEC is growing, and not just in square footage. With more people, more projects, and expanded technical services, the company is finding new ways to build on its South Dakota roots. This growth was recently recognized with the 2025 Business Expansion Award from Elevate Rapid City. 

RESPEC recently expanded its headquarters in Rapid City to make room for its growing team and evolving needs. The project included significant upgrades to the company’s geotechnical lab and additional office spaces, giving the staff better tools and more room to support infrastructure and mining projects across the country. This project also created more space for collaboration, mentorship, and shared learning. 

The headquarters expansion is one visible sign of RESPEC’s growth, but what’s driving that growth runs deeper. At the core is RESPEC’s employee-ownership model, which shapes how the company scales, collaborates, and invests in the future 

RESPEC’s employee-ownership model plays a big part in the company’s growth. Everyone has a stake, which makes decisions more thoughtful and personal RESPEC’s approach to growth is about creating opportunities and making sure they benefit the people who help build them. 

This mindset is rooted in RESPEC’s culture: solving hard problems with passion, following through with accountability, caring about people and communities, and working as a team. These values can be seen in the company’s actions, whether it’s in a lab upgrade, a new partnership, or the way new employees are brought into the fold. 

“Personally, it’s rewarding to see how our efforts over the past 20 years to build a thriving company—one that creates opportunities and enriches lives—are being recognized and replicated across our footprint,” says Jason Love, RESPEC CEO and President. 

RESPEC was honored alongside other local businesses at the 2025 Elevate Rapid City Business Awards. This is the second time the company has been recognized by Elevate Rapid City—RESPEC was named Large Business of the Year in 2023. As RESPEC continues to grow, its focus remains the same: build with intention, stay grounded, and make growth matter.