'Open for opportunity': Gov. Rhoden puts mark on South Dakota's Noem-era branding

Speech transcript: Inauguration ceremonies held for new governor, Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen

(Courtesy photo)

South Dakota will remain “open for business” under its new governor, but Gov. Larry Rhoden is putting his own stamp on the unofficial state motto established under his predecessor.

“I want to keep South Dakota ‘Open for Business.’ But more than that, I want our state to be ‘Open for Opportunity,’” the governor said Saturday at an inauguration ceremony at the South Dakota Capitol. The event came after he and Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen were sworn into their respective offices last month.

Rhoden, 65, was sworn in as governor on Jan. 27 following the resignation of former Gov. Kristi Noem, who left Pierre to become secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under President Donald Trump. Noem’s tenure as governor saw a rise in South Dakota’s national profile after it bucked worldwide lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

(Courtesy photo)

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