For Immediate Release:  Tuesday, July 16, 2024

Contact:  Julie Stevenson, Strategic Communications Coordinator, 605-773-2898

PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Transportation Hall of Honor (HOH) committee recently announced its newest inductees. The 2024 inductees are the late Jim Myers, former SDDOT Director of Railroads and Transportation Secretary and the late James Loiseau, former President/Owner of Loiseau Construction, Inc.

“Each year the South Dakota Transportation Hall of Honor committee meets and reviews applications for induction consideration for this prestigious honor,” said Transportation Secretary Joel Jundt, who serves in the role as Hall of Honor committee chair. “Once again this year, the committee diligently deliberated over the applications, and in the end overwhelmingly approved Mr. Myers and Mr. Loiseau as two individuals who truly made lasting and valuable impacts in their respective modes of transportation.”

Jim Myers:
Jim Myers was born in Yankton, South Dakota. Myers was elected to and served on the Yankton County Commission for six years and was then elected mayor for two years. He was hired by the State of South Dakota in 1979 and appointed Director of Railroads after years of lobbying the legislature on railroad-related issues. Myers served as the Secretary of the South Dakota Department of Transportation and Chief of Operations for former Governor Bill Janklow. Through his leadership, he was a key figure in turning a rail catastrophe into an opportunity for the State of South Dakota.

James Loiseau:
James Loiseau grew up on a farm three miles west of Egan, South Dakota. He attended Hanson’s Mechanical Truck School in Fargo. After years of hard work, he founded JR Loiseau Construction in 1976 in Flandreau, South Dakota; which would later become incorporated as Loiseau Construction in 1987. Loiseau worked as president and owner of Loiseau Construction Inc. for 46 years. He was president of Land Improvement Contractors of America (LICA) in 1990 and president of the Associated General Contractors (AGC) in 2003.   

About the Transportation Hall of Honor:
The purpose of the Transportation Hall of Honor is to recognize those who have made a lasting, valuable, or unique contribution to South Dakota’s air, highway, public transit, or rail transportation system. The Hall of Honor originated in 1972. With the addition of Myers and Loiseau, there are currently 99 distinguished inductees in the Transportation Hall of Honor.

Hall of Honor banquet information will be announced at a later date.

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