In June of 1930, with nothing but $20 and a one-room office in Sioux Falls, Harold “Spitz” Spitznagel (1896–1975) set out to build a business.

At the time, he was not thinking about legacy or dreaming of decades of success. But almost a century later, his company, now known as TSP, remains a cornerstone of architecture, engineering, planning, and design across the region.

Spitz, inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame in 2006, left us with core values, stories, and a way of approaching work and life that continues to guide TSP.

The firm’s enduring core values are:

  • Design like we own it. 
  • We before me. 
  • Committed to our craft. 

TSP Chief Executive Officer Jared Nesje recently sat down with Laurie Becvar, CEO of the South Dakota Hall of Fame, to share details of the stories and principles that shaped Spitz’s life.