By: Kory Lanphear
Photos: Bailey Sadowsky and submitted
The Black Hills Stock Show, Lakota Nation Invitational, Black Hills Powwow: each event is a staple of Rapid City Culture. And they all take place at The Monument.
Growing up in Glendive, Montana, Brittney Huschka’s first experience with the notion of a community was fairly typical. “I was in athletics a lot when I was growing up; basketball, tennis, cross country, and volleyball,” she said. “Working together, being flexible, cooperating with people who maybe you don’t get along with, but you share the same end goal — those are great lessons that I learned in a formative time that actually translate really well to what I do in the workplace.”
As the Team and Culture Coordinator at The Monument, Brittney, took inspiration from her parents. Her father was a truck driver and her mother worked as the lead cook at her high school. Naturally hard workers, Brittney’s parents inspired her to pursue a career in human resources. “I realized that you work every day, all day, your whole life. I knew that I wanted to help people enjoy their workplace and want to brag about where they work,” she said.
Feeling that her options were limited in Glendive, Brittney chose a college in a place she’d visited only one-time, Black Hills State University in Spearfish. After she got her degree and began working in higher education admissions, she realized that human resources, as she experienced it, was more about paper than people. So, five years ago, when the role at The Monument came to her attention, she thought it would better match her initial vision.
Brittney is the first person to hold her job title at The Monument. The job is niche, though in a good way. She is a liaison between the City of Rapid City, which owns The Monument, and the civic center’s workforce.
“We have such a unique workforce of 60 full-time employees that are city employees, and then, depending on the time of year, we have anywhere from 400 to 600 or 700 part-time, seasonal
employees,” said Brittney.
“I bridge the gap between our managers and Human Resources and between our managers and our part time employees. We do everything in-house here, from concessions to the work on the walls. My intention is to create a better culture and a better workplace that people want to go to and make The Monument a noteworthy place to work.”
Brittney has partnered with managers to provide flexible, personalized scheduling for staff. If there are multiple events going on at once and the staff is in need of help, Brittney and the management team do not hesitate to step in and assist.
Employees are encouraged to try new jobs within the organization. If there is a good fit, they are often accommodated so they can transfer to new roles. As a result, the willingness of people to step in where they normally wouldn’t feel comfortable is an underlying tone within the Monument’s culture.
“A lot of employees come back every year. Some employees have been here for over 25 years. Actually, there are three people, a couple, and now their daughter, who work in our Food and Beverage Department, and they have been here since the mid-1980s.”
About a half a million people come to events at The Monument each year, so the satisfaction of part-time staff is crucial. Brittney strives to stay on a first-name basis with as many employees as she can, while getting to know them and things about their life so they feel like a respected individual.
“It’s that human connection. How you hire an employee, how you interview them, how fast you respond to them, how organized you are — all those things matter a lot,” Brittney said. “How we treat people during the hiring process reflects what their longevity will be with the company. Our managers do a good job of ensuring that employees have a good experience, that they are appreciated and that they want to come to work. We have employees from different backgrounds and we have all kinds of different events, from galas and fundraisers to community events to free events. That diverse culture is a really important part of The Monument, Rapid City, and the Black Hills.”
Original Article available in the February edition of Elevate Magazine
