Leadership

T. Denny Sanford
1935-2026Denny purchased the bank in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in 1986. He renamed it First PREMIER Bank and expanded into the credit card sector with PREMIER Bankcard. Four decades later, PREMIER is considered one of the nation’s strongest financial organizations. Beyond building a strong and diverse company, Denny wanted to create an organization where people were proud to work. His vision became The PREMIER Way, our guiding principles for how we treat our co-workers, customers and communities. One of Denny's famous sayings was, "Aspire to inspire before you expire." Throughout his lifetime, he gave away more than $4 billion to initiatives that benefit children and families, healthcare, higher education, workforce development and the arts, transforming the landscape of South Dakota and beyond. His philanthropy continues to inspire PREMIER's leadership and employees to follow his legacy of giving back to our communities with our time and resources.
Miles Beacom
CHAIRMAN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER - PREMIER Bankcard
Miles Beacom has served as Chief Executive Officer of PREMIER Bankcard since 1993. Under his leadership, PREMIER Bankcard has grown to employ over 1500 people in South Dakota serving more than 3 million customers nationwide, making the company one of the top 20 largest issuers of Mastercard® credit cards in the country.
Miles has served on the Board of Directors for numerous organizations, including Sanford Health International, Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation, United Way, Dakota State University, Catholic Diocese Foundation, the Catholic Community Foundation for Eastern South Dakota, and the Freedom Scholarship Board.
Miles is a graduate of Dakota State University and has provided three gifts to DSU for the construction of academic, research and athletic facilities. In 2009, the University of South Dakota dedicated the Beacom School of Business in his honor.
Dana Dykhouse
CHAIRMAN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER - First Premier Bank
Dana J. Dykhouse joined First PREMIER Bank in 1995. Under his leadership, the bank’s total assets have grown from $250 million to more than $3 billion. With Dana at the helm, First PREMIER Bank has been consistently ranked as one of the strongest performing banks in the nation and one of the best banks to work for. Dana gives his time to several organizations and is currently the Chairman for the Build Dakota Scholarship Fund and South Dakota Technical Education Board. He also serves on the board for the Freedom Scholarship and the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce. Dana is a graduate of South Dakota State University and donated money to help build the Dana J. Dykhouse football stadium on campus.
Dave Rozenboom
PRESIDENT - First PREMIER Bank
Dave joined First PREMIER Bank in 2011 and has enjoyed a 38+ year banking career, all in South Dakota. He is a 1985 graduate of Dordt University in Sioux Center, IA. Dave is an active advocate for the banking industry as a past Chair of the South Dakota Banker’s Association and currently serves on the SDBA Foundation Board of Directors. He also serves in leadership roles with several community and statewide organizations, including board member of the SD Chamber of Commerce & Industry, board member of the South Dakota Hall of Fame, member of the Avera Health System Investment Committee, and a member of the Dordt University Leadership Advisory Council.
Ben Marcello
PRESIDENT – PREMIER BANKCARD
Ben joined PREMIER Bankcard in 2023 and brought with him more than two decades of global consumer finance experience across a dozen countries. An alumnus of the University of Oxford, and a graduate of prestigious financial inclusion policy programs at both Harvard Business School and the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, Ben is considered one of the industry’s foremost experts in emerging credit. Aside professional experience and academic accolades, Ben has also committed much of his time and resources to philanthropic and social causes. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Washington Pavilion, Feeding South Dakota, and Children’s Home Society.
PREMIER Senior Leadership
Board of Directors
Jeff Evanson
Curt Everson
Greg Honl
