The Mount Rushmore State has plenty of successful companies that have branched their business out beyond its borders. But which company from South Dakota is the most famous nationwide?

Some of the biggest and most successful brands to come out of South Dakota include Sanford Health, Daktronics, and First Premier Bank, but one company that was founded here nearly 50 years ago, has locations all over the United States, and even worldwide.

What company could this be? Super 8 Motels.

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Super 8 was founded in the early 1970s in Aberdeen South Dakota by Ron Rivett and Dennis Brown. Its first out-of-state location was in Gillette, Wyoming, and shortly after Super 8 Motels were popping up from coast to coast.

Initially, Super 8's strategy was to put up one of their motels across the street from every Holiday Inn they could find. The blueprint worked and by the early 1990s Super 8 had opened its 1,000th location in the U.S.

By the 2000s, Super 8 went worldwide, opening its first Motel in Beijing, China. By 2011 they had over 600 Motels in China. They also have opened Motels in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Germany. They passed 2,000 locations in 2007.

In 2006 the chain was bought by Wyndham Hotels. They have since revamped the image and logo of Super 8 and remain the owner to date.

It's certainly hard to imagine a world in which Super 8 doesn't exist, and thanks to two gentlemen who came together back in the 1970s, it's South Dakota's most famous and iconic brand.

Story Source: Web Archive

Story Source: Hotel Executive

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