About Ben
My Background
I was born and raised in Mitchell, SD and grew up on the same block I live on today. My parents started the plumbing company Krohmer Plumbing the year before I was born, so I have been immersed in the family business my entire life. The family business was based out of our family home; the pipe and fittings were jungle gyms and play toys for me growing up. After a number of years the business grew large enough to where my parents moved out it out of the house and on to Main Street where it was for many years. However, after continued growth, the business outgrew the Main Street building as well. When I was still a kid my parents built a new building on the Highway 37 bypass where we have been located for decades. As the years have gone by, we've done many additions and remodels in Mitchell to accommodate increased growth. We have continued to grow and expand so much that we recently purchased the old Shopko building in Mitchell and moved our entire Mitchell operations there. We have also grown and opened locations in Sioux Falls and Rapid City.
When I was a kid I didn't have a regular daycare like most other kids; my daycare was riding in heavy equipment, like backhoes and skid loaders, with my dad on construction sites while he worked. My dad would teach me what the controls would do, and how to use them. I actually knew how to operate a backhoe before I knew how to ride a bike.
After a couple years of mowing yards and shoveling driveways, I started working for our family business when I was a 16 year old in high school. During the school year I would work after school on jobsites and full time during the summers. I attended two years of college at USD, but ultimately decided that college wasn't for me and that I'd rather be working in our family business. I traveled on the road and have been blessed to work all over our beautiful state, and almost all of the surrounding states, as well. Over the years I have earned a Plumbing Contractor's license for South Dakota and also earned Master Plumber licenses in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Iowa; along with a Master Hydronic heating license in Iowa. I've learned a lot working construction in our family business for the last 20 years. Currently I work on 3D design and coordination drawings for large scale projects we take on.
I have been actively involved in the Davison County Republican Party for over 9 years and attended 4 state conventions (this will be my 5th). I have served as a Republican Precinct Committeeman during that time, and 3 years ago our county party selected me to be our Committeeman to represent Davison County at statewide meetings. For the last few years I have also been a member of the Mitchell Friends of the NRA and helped organize banquets, do charitable fundraising, and helped decide how the proceeds are spent to help support gun safety classes, hunters education courses, and youth shooting sports.
It's always exciting and challenging taking on new and large projects; it takes hard work and dedication, which is also what we need in Pierre. I'd be honored and blessed to have the folks of our district continue to put their trust in me by casting a vote for me on June 4th and sending me back to Pierre to keep representing you.