Shelbi Backhaus named Community Member of the Year for her dedication to giving back

Sharing small moments with those who need a little extra encouragement is what led Shelbi Backhaus of Backhaus Excavation & Underground, LLC to be chosen as Community Member of the Year by the Tea Chamber. 

Shelbi Backhaus married her husband Neil in 2015 after seven years of dating. Both grew up on the West side of Sioux Falls but dreamed of a life in a smaller community. The pair quickly outgrew their home with the additions of daughter Paisley, son, Paxton, and fur baby, Emma, the family golden retriever.  The family searched for a location for years before deciding where to call home. 

“We knew we wanted to live in Tea when we decided to build our dream home in 2020 as it fits into our lifestyle of traveling, boating, and taking our Jeep out on the trails,” Backhaus said.  

Shelbi and Neil have owned Backhaus Excavation & Underground, LLC together since 2016. Neil had previous experience working for a contractor in Sioux Falls, and Shelbi was working as a nurse in the South Dakota Men’s Prison. 

“On my off days, I would learn how to do our office work with the help of a friend. I had never learned anything about accounting but have learned so much since then. I did double duty and worked both my nursing job and our office work until 2022, when I left my nursing job and went on full time with our business,” she said.

The company has expanded since opening in 2016 and the team now includes Shelbi, Neil, and two additional employees to keep operations running smoothly. 

“Backhaus Excavation & Underground LLC provides Underground utilities for commercial construction such as bringing water and sewer from the street into the building/addition. We do some residential Underground utility repairs such as a curb stop or sewer repair,” Backhaus said. 

Being a full-time employee of the company now gives Backhaus the flexibility to have more family time, getting to kids’ activities, and volunteering throughout the area. 

Giving back is what fills Shelbi’s heart and finding meaningful opportunities to make a connection fuels her love for her community. 

“Between sponsoring kid’s activities to serving at the banquet to volunteering at church, helping people and giving back makes me so happy. It is hard to explain. If I can make someone’s day better by providing them with a meal, having a listening heart, or whatever they may need, then that’s what I will do,” she said. 

Giving her time to organizations is key to her success when it comes to volunteering. 

“Other ways that I give back to the community is substituting at the school as a nurse or where ever they may need me, when available, president of TAPTO (Tea Area Parent Teacher Organization), leader of a local Girl Scouts troop, and part of the executive Leadership Team for the American Heart Association to help with raising money to educate the community on heart health,” she said.

Shelbi’s volunteer work caught the attention of Elizabeth Carrell from Bella and Birch who urged Backhaus to become an Ambassador for the Tea Chamber. 

“She knows I can’t say no, but little did I know that I would get even more involved in the community and that’s exactly what I wanted and needed,” Backhaus said.

As Shelbi sat at the table for the Annual Chamber meeting on December 11, she heard Tea Ace Hardware be named Business of the Year and listened to all of Alex Baran’s accomplishments in the community. Soon, she was hearing of her own accomplishments and being nominated as Community Member of the Year.

“I honestly had zero idea that my name would be read off next for Community Member of the Year.  I almost couldn’t believe it. Andrea read off the nomination and I was in awe.  If I’m being honest, I held back my tears, not sure why. When I got back to my table, I was informed that one of my good friends Steff Holtrop, Owner of The Hood Magazine nominated me,” she said.

Backhaus plans to continue with her business and volunteer work into the new year knowing the two go hand in hand. 

“I believe our company is deserving of this because it does show that we give back to the community in more ways than one.  We are a small business, not a cooperation. Supporting small business is so important because of this reason,” she said. 

With the Tea High School Addition project completed by Backhaus Excavation & Underground, LLC, Shelbi and Neil are looking towards the future. 

“We will be completing a new water line for Lake Herman State Park and updating the water fountains for their nature trail.  We have completed several projects in the Bakkers Landing Development and will continue bidding projects as they come available,” she said.