Ben Arndt is one of South Dakota’s most accomplished young business leaders. He grew up across the border in Iowa. The son of an ag fertilizer salesman and a home-decorator, Ben and his sister were raised in Wall Lake, Iowa. During those formative years, Ben helped pay his way by delivering a daily newspaper for six years, working as a lifeguard and as a part-time farm laborer.

Ben’s academic career took him to Yale and then the prestigious Kellogg School (Northwestern) of Business Management. Ben continued to earn his way through school. To help pay for tuition and books, he supervised the university gymnasium, worked as a delivery-man and security-detail.

Ben Arndt and his family

After undergraduate school, Ben worked his way back to the Midwest. He climbed the corporate ladder with successful stints at two of America’s most recognized publicly-traded companies – Microsoft and Procter & Gamble. Ben specialized in branding and new product launches at both companies.

Returning to the Midwest was a natural decision for Ben and his wife Sara (Graham) a South Dakota native. The Arndt’s have been blessed with two children, Fletcher (5) and Finley (2).

For the past five years, Ben has been part of the senior management at Bell Incorporated of Sioux Falls, one of the nation’s leading box manufacturers. Ben’s leadership allowed Bell to prosper even during the challenging recessions of 2008-2009. In April of 2010, Ben became the Chief Operating Officer at Bell.

As a strong proponent of education, Ben recognized the benefits that an investment in an MBA would mean for himself and his company; beginning in 2005 he pursued his MBA from the Kellogg School and completed his degree in 2007.

Ben has served his community in a number of areas, including Leadership Sioux Falls and the Kirby Science Discovery Center.

In his spare time, Ben enjoys “roughhousing” with his kids, staying fit, reading and golf.