Siouxland Magazine - Volume 3 Issue 5

expand
collaborate
invest
Kodi Benson
Customer Service Department Manager, PREMIER Bankcard
City. We are working on some items that will help benefit
low-income affordable housing that will create a win for our
citizens, our businesses and our community.
How can people help you make that happen?
We need to look for new inventive ways to bring more
developers to our communities to create low incoming
housing. If your city has the opportunity to take advantage of
a program, point it out and bring it to their attention. If you
notice grants that can be applied for, send them to your city
administration and/or economic development. If you have a
job you are hiring for don’t just limit your business to your local
community but expand it to the tri-state area.
What are you working on now?
With North Sioux City Council, we have numerous projects
that we are working on from putting in a new water tower, to
expanding a trail system from North Sioux City into Dakota
Dunes and then eventually into Sioux City. We continue to try to
recruit new businesses in North Sioux City from an economical
development standpoint to create job opportunities and
bring more individuals to our local communities. We make
decisions on a daily basis and do our best to enhance the lives
of our citizens and our overall community.
What is your vision for the future? / What would you
like to see happen in Siouxland?
I would like to see our tri-state areas continue to partner
together to grow our communities both financially and
economically. We need to find ways to benefit all of Siouxland
from a company standpoint as well as a citizen standpoint.
This includes but isn’t limited to getting our community
members to work, to developing our rural sanitary sewer
system, to recruiting athletic events to participate in all areas
of our tri-state area. We have seen great strides in these efforts
through our United Sports Academy in North Sioux City, the
Siouxland Expo Center, and the Arena Sports Academy in
Sioux City. These have not only direct jobs but many indirect
jobs as well due to the number of travelers coming to our
local communities.
What are you doing to make that happen?
We are always looking for new growth in North Sioux City
from an economical development standpoint and are always
looking for new ways to recruit people to live in North Sioux
What is the most important key to success?
Only two words, team work. Together we will succeed,
individually we fail. There is no one person that can accomplish
and change the world by themselves; but with buy-in from our
community, and all of our local leaders and dedication from
everyone, we can achieve anything.
What is one challenging life experience that taught
you something you’ve been able to use to your
benefit or to the benefit of others?
Don’t settle for anything in your life: your career, your
relationships, or in your personal goals. Once you accomplish
your goals, set a new one. Without goals, life and work is
boring, you always need something to strive for in order to
better yourself and get to the next level. I have had many
challenges in my life from having forced career changes, to
relationships that didn’t work out, to other issues, but I have
learned to not let those challenges define me. I have learned
to over- come, push-forward, and learn from them. With every
experience comes a learning opportunity. You can’t succeed
without failure; it’s just like Thomas Edison who invented the
light bulb. He didn’t do it on the first try, but he learned more
than 900 ways how not to invent a light bulb, furthermore he
didn’t do it alone.
Volunteer Organizations
Vice President of City Council for the City of North Sioux City
Board of Directors North Sioux City Fire Department
SIMPCO Board
“Be the change that you wish to see in the world;
We can’t change the world in a day but we can
change the world one interaction at a time!”