The South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations is excited to share our Associate Member spotlight article about McGough Construction. Our diverse associate membership includes national and multi-office consulting firms, accounting and educational, health care suppliers, associations, and construction firms working with community health providers.
An engaged member of SDAHO, McGough is a premier construction and development firm that brings a unique combination of statewide reach, national resources, and specialized health care knowledge to every project. With more than a decade of experience in South Dakota, two offices, and a local workforce, more than 80 strong backed by the firm’s national health care team, McGough is a construction partner with not only deep expertise but also a profound understanding of the communities being served.
McGough understands that a health care facility is more than just a building; it is the foundation of a community’s well-being. This philosophy drives their commitment to excellence, whether they are undertaking a multi-million-dollar hospital expansion or a critical renovation for a rural clinic.
Health care Expertise to Suit Every Need
McGough’s capabilities in health care construction are as scalable as they are deep. The firm has a proven track record of delivering projects of all sizes and complexities, from large, sophisticated urban medical campuses to the rural health facilities that are lifelines for local communities. This ability to scale is key to maintaining long-term relationships with health care partners, who might need to construct a new facility, then years later need to make updates and improvements. Whether continuing a relationship or starting anew, McGough clients benefit from their decades of experience and a team that possesses deep technical skill.
McGough’s health care construction experts have received specialized training from the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE), ensuring they are equipped to navigate the unique challenges of building in sensitive medical environments. This rigorous training guarantees that every project adheres to the highest standards of safety, infection control, and operational continuity, protecting both patients and staff.
This technical proficiency is demonstrated in projects across the state. These include:
- South Dakota Public Health Laboratory in Pierre: This complex, high-performance 110,000 sf facility features laboratories and administrative space, demonstrating McGough’s capabilities in sophisticated healthcare environments.
- Bennett County Hospital and Nursing Home in Martin: A major rural health care project currently under development, this 24,000 sf facility adds patient care areas, remodels existing space and shows McGough’s commitment to improving access to care in smaller communities.
Prairie Lakes Medical Office Building & Emergency Department in Watertown: A significant healthcare expansion including 77,000 sf of new construction that strengthens regional access to specialty and emergency care, reflecting McGough’s ongoing commitment to advancing community health.
Statewide Presence and a Community Focus
McGough’s commitment to South Dakota is proven by its physical presence across the state. As the only health care construction company with full-service offices in both Sioux Falls and Rapid City, the firm can serve the needs of any community, ensuring local insight and rapid responsiveness for owners anywhere. This statewide footprint means McGough is not just a contractor but a neighbor, invested in the success and health of the communities where its teams live and work.
As a major firm operating nationwide, St. Paul, MN-based McGough has the capability to deploy resources where and when they are needed. Opening these South Dakota offices shows a deeper commitment to the state, a belief in the opportunities to be found here, and a long-term investment in the state’s growth.
Voices of McGough: Ron Steffen
Ron Steffen, McGough’s General Manager for South Dakota, shared that the new Bennet County Hospital serves one of the most underserved regions in the state—an area that depends heavily on the facility for emergency air transport and records more life-flight departures than any other location in South Dakota. He noted that community leaders had spent more than a decade advocating for the project, and the groundbreaking drew 200 attendees, many of whom had long wondered if the day would ever come.
Delivering the hospital within budget, he said, was the result of close collaboration between McGough and local stakeholders, and seeing the excitement and renewed energy it brought to residents was deeply meaningful for the team. In construction, Steffen added, connecting a project to its greater purpose instills a powerful sense of pride in everyone involved.
One McGough: National Strength, Local Delivery
While the teams in Sioux Falls and Rapid City provide dedicated local support, they are backed by the full strength of McGough’s national health care practice. This means that every project in South Dakota benefits from the collective knowledge, innovative practices, and resources drawn from the company’s work across the country.
This structure allows McGough to bring cutting-edge solutions and lessons learned from a diverse portfolio of health care projects directly to its South Dakota partners. It combines the agility and personal touch of a local firm with the robust capabilities and financial stability of a national leader.
As the health care needs of South Dakota continue to grow and change, McGough remains a committed partner, ready to help build the future. By combining scalable expertise, a true statewide presence, and the power of a unified national team, McGough delivers more than just buildings—they deliver the foundations for healthier communities, one project at a time.
