The Question and Answer feature helps readers learn more about prominent people in the business community. This issue’s Q&A profiles Dwayne Klarenbeek, president of Midwestern Mechanical Inc., which is celebrating its 25th year.
 Dwayne Klarenbeek has helped lead the growth at Midwestern Mechanical Inc., which has its new headquarters at 4501 N. Lewis Ave. (Inertia/for the SFBJ)
Name: Dwayne Klarenbeek
Title: President of Midwestern Mechanical Inc.
Hometown: Inwood, Iowa
Age: 48
Background: Graduated from high school in Rock Valley, Iowa; worked as a plumber; started Midwestern Mechanical in 1983
Family: Wife, Marcene; four children, Michael, Janell, Christie and Teresa
Q: Tell me about your interests and hobbies.
A: “I love to fish. If I find time, I golf. I love to dive. Scuba diving is probably the main hobby. We do a lot of spearfishing at Lake Oahe.”
Q: How did you become interested in your field?
A: “It started in ’79 after I graduated. I started working for a plumber in Inwood, Iowa. I got interested in the field. It got slow there, so I worked for a plumber in Sioux Falls for three years. I thought it would be good to try to start my own business. It started out as two people, a cousin of mine and myself. That dissolved, and then it turned into a one-man shop and started building from there. I took on a partner, Frank Howe, in 1990. ... We also have a branch in Spencer, Iowa. Between the two, we have roughly 150 employees now.”
Q: What do you enjoy most about work?
A: “The people. The whole company is about the people. It’s always a challenge from day to day trying to schedule everything and trying to relate to people and just management in general.”
Q: What’s your outlook for the Sioux Falls business community this year?
A: “I think it’s very good considering what the economy is doing. I think it’s excellent.”
Q: What would you like to be remembered for?
A: “Actually, just being a good boss.”
Q: How do you find time to balance your job and your family?
A: “That’s very difficult. Basically, I probably put too much time in my work early on. Now is coming the time I can slow down and appreciate it.”
Q: What’s your favorite getaway?
A: “The Missouri River. Either that or going down to the Caribbean.”
Q: If you could take a one-year sabbatical, what would you do?
A: “I’d probably do a mission trip. It doesn’t really matter where it would be.”
Q: Do you have a charity or organization that’s especially close to your heart?
A: “Sanford Children’s. I’ve got a soft spot for kids in my heart. Another one is the Alpha Center for unwed mothers.”
Q: What’s your favorite childhood memory?
A: “Growing up on the farm, playing in the creek with my three brothers.”
Q: What’s something about you that people would be surprised to know?
A: “That it’s more about the people at work here than myself, just seeing if we can’t get the good life to everybody. I try to put the good Lord in the front all the time.”
Q: What kind of music is in your car or what do you listen to on the radio?
A: “Typically, easy listening, 92.5.”
Q: If you could have dinner with two or three people, alive or dead, who would you choose and why?
A: “Sen. John Thune. I like his politics. We probably have a lot in common. And Gov. Mike Rounds for the same reasons.”
Q: What are the best and worst things about living in the Sioux Falls area?
A: “Sioux Falls is a tremendous community. I like the people. It just has a ton to offer. It’s not a big city yet, but it is a big city. The worst probably is that it is turning into a big city.”
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