Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011PIERRE, S.D. –Businesses enjoy more than low taxes, a responsive government, and a positive regulatory environment in South Dakota. Recent rankings also point to unique quality-of-life factors that make South Dakota a great place to live. “There’s no doubt companies need to operate where it makes the most business sense,” said South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard. “However, South Dakota’s quality-of-life benefits, combined with our stable and reasonable regulatory environment, really make South Dakota a great place to work and live.” Commute time According to the recently released U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010 American Community Survey, South Dakotans have the nation’s second shortest commute-to-work time. People working in South Dakota spend about 16 minutes traveling to work. Maryland and New York had the highest commute times at more than 31 minutes. Lonnie Isam, whose antique motorcycle parts manufacturing company moved from Houston, Texas, to Sturgis, S.D., 25 years ago, said he enjoys a great business environment and an improved quality of life in South Dakota. “Our backyard is literally a national forest, and we can now get to the shop in just 10 minutes. You can’t put a price tag on that,” said Isam, owner of Competition Distributing. Volunteerism South Dakota has the nation’s fifth-highest volunteer rate, according to the Corporation for National and Community Service. Its recently issued state-by-state volunteerism ranking showed that more than 37 percent of South Dakota residents volunteer. South Dakotans’ penchant for volunteering is echoed in the workplace. Adams Thermal Systems of Canton, a manufacturer of engine-cooling systems, is one example of a South Dakota company that promotes philanthropic work among its employees. The company has a unique program that reimburses employees who volunteer in the community. For every two hours of volunteer work, employees earn one hour of paid time off. “I strongly believe that a work environment should provide an employee the opportunity to grow professionally and personally,” said Mike Adams, President, Adams Thermal Systems. “In South Dakota, I’ve enjoyed a great group of hard-working, generous employees.” -30-