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The Question and Answer feature helps readers learn more about prominent people in the business community. This issue’s Q&A profiles Mark Shlanta, chief executive officer of SDN Communications and vice chairman of the Sioux Falls Development Foundation’s board of directors.
 Mark Shlanta is chief executive officer of SDN Communications (Inertia/for the SFBJ)
Name: Mark Shlanta
Title: Chief executive officer of SDN Communications
Background: Received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in engineering management from the University of Missouri-Rolla; worked from 1988 to 1994 for Contel/GTE, from 1994 to 1997 with Cybertel Cellular/Ameritech Cellular, from 1997 to 1998 with Consolidated Communications/McLeodUSA; started at SDN in 1998
Hometown: Born in Corvallis, Ore.; family moved to Brookings when he was 6 weeks old and to Sioux Falls when he was 16
Age: Soon to be 43
Family: Wife, Peggy; and four boys, Michael, 12; Karl, 10; Joseph, 8; and Scott, 5
Q: Tell me about your interests and hobbies.
A: “I enjoy swimming, camping and coin collecting.”
Q: How did you become interested in your field?
A: “I joined the engineering staff at Contel in Wentzville, Mo., out of college. I found telecom technically challenging and loaded with personal opportunities, interaction with co-workers and most of all the ability of seeing customers’ needs being satisfied.”
Q: What do you enjoy most about your work?
A: “I enjoy working with people, and SDN Communications gives me opportunity to meet and work with people all over the state and region. My work at SDN has taken me to the four corners of the state and many places between.”
Q: The possible contract with the state to build a super-speed network sounds like a big deal for the state and a big deal for your company. What’s the magnitude of the effect on the state and SDN?
A: “It’s all about growing South Dakota’s economy – allowing our universities and research facilities to compete for projects. Ultimately, that will bring ideas, capital and people to South Dakota. The state’s selection of SDN to carry the High Speed Research Education and Economic Development (REED) Network is a validation of SDN’s network design, performance and the South Dakotans we have employed all across the state. We’re honored that the governor has chosenSDN, a South Dakota company, to build, maintain and protect the High Speed REED.”
Q: How do you find time to balance your job and your family?
A: “It can be challenging. Luckily, I have a great wife, friends and co-workers who understand the demands of work and family.”
Q: Do you have a favorite charity or organization?
A: “Lately, I have given of my time, talent and treasure to the Catholic Church, Sioux Falls Catholic Schools, the Boy Scouts, the United Way and Junior Achievement.”
Q: What sparked your commitment to community service?
A: “Everyone needs to give of their time, talent and treasure to assist others. Being active in my church and the Scouts have given me and my boys many opportunities to volunteer and touch others’ lives. As a business professional, I enjoy working with the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, and I encourage everyone to join an organization that helps the community grow in some way. In Sioux Falls, we all are blessed by the work done by the thousands of people who volunteer to support the needed efforts.”
Q: What is something about you that people might be surprised to know?
A: “I am pretty bland and spend a lot of time with my work, my family and our family friends. I know my wife was surprised last summer when I came home from a business trip to Des Moines pulling some jet skis that I had bought on eBay a month earlier.”
Q: What’s your favorite getaway?
A: “With the age of our kids, my wife and I do not get away often. I would like to go to Cancun or Cabo San Lucas sometime. Peggy and I did visit Maine (in the summer) and the Bahamas (in the winter) and recommend those to anyone seeking a getaway. With respect to Maine, the deeper you go into the state the better because the crowds thin dramatically.”
Q: What kind of music is in your car or what do you listen to on the radio?
A: “I do not carry CDs in my car. Some of my favorite artists are Tom Petty, The Who and Bruce Springsteen. While traveling in my car, I listen to South Dakota Public Broadcasting, KSOO, KWSN, WNAX and several XM channels.”
Q: If you could have dinner with two or three people, alive or dead, who would you choose and why?
A: “Gerald Ford and Albert Einstein. As an adult, I have come to respect the work and limited presidential record of Gerald Ford. Late into his life, he was a very good interview for folks like Larry King. Engaging the man in conversation to listen to and learn from his life experiences would be something not many people were able to do. As for Albert Einstein, one of my college roommates was a physics major. In college while breaking down formulas in classes, I found that Einstein was just too cool for words. The things he discovered and researched changed many lives. Like Ford, being able to listen and learn from Einstein’s thoughts would be a unique experience.”
Q: What do you think are the best and worst things about living in Sioux Falls?
A: “Sioux Falls, and for that matter South Dakota, is a great place to work and live. The people are welcoming and supportive. The seasons give opportunity to all to try different things.”
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