Meet Our Leadership Team
We’re proud of our family and their accomplishments.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Branden Bestgen
Entrepreneur. Driven. Tenacious.
Branden is an entrepreneur, financial wiz, real estate investor, and current CEO and Founder of Best GEN, LLC, which he founded in 2017 and envisioned being the best in the industry. Since starting his first business in 1997, Branden has set a standard of excellence and been an active participant in the acquisition, development, and construction of millions of dollars of real estate and business ventures across a wide range of industries and transactions including mergers, acquisitions, and divestures, becoming a self-made millionaire by the time he was 30.
From humble beginnings growing up in Sturgis, South Dakota, where he learned the value of hard work, determination, and calloused hands in the construction and development world alongside his father, he was able to hone those skills into a growing enterprise. While his visionary leadership and strong construction and business management experience have taken him far, he continues to share a strong bond with the community that raised him. Branden has selflessly given back his whole adult life by volunteering and serving on his local city council, several local advisory boards, as well as serving in law enforcement for 16 years, and as Assistant Chief of Police for 6 years. When Branden isn’t visioning or volunteering, he enjoys traveling, camping, hiking, and mountain biking with his family.
President
Robert Sieve
Results-Focused. Uniter. Transparent.
Robert (Bob) is Best GEN’s President and Chief Operating Officer, with over 30 years of leadership experience across an array of manufacturing and construction industries operating on a global scale. Bob holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technical Studies, is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, has attended the International Institute for Management Development – Lausanne Switzerland, and American Management Association certifications. Bob’s unique experience with industries and people from around the world allows him to quickly assess cultures and implement plans and systems that unite and drive results. Highlights of his career include creating teams of highly effective members and building a brand based on quality of service.
Bob’s goal as the President of Best GEN is to equip and train the team to produce the highest quality product in the market in a safe and efficient manner, to create an “Employer of Choice” environment in each community represented, and to empower each employee to be their best self. When not at work, you can find Bob in his 4-wheeler logging countless miles on the remote trails of South Dakota with his best friend and love of his life, or being at high elevation above the timberline!
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Kody Bybee
Precise. Analytical. Strategic.
Kody focuses on financial modeling, strategic and financial planning and analysis at Best GEN. He holds degrees in Management and Finance and is especially fond of working with numbers and spreadsheets. Through his 20 years business management and finance experience in the for-profit and non-profit worlds, what stands out is his demonstrated ability to guide and complete large complex construction projects on time and under budget. What brings him the most satisfaction is building excellent teams that drive results.
Kody’s goal at Best GEN is not only to be the best in the industry, but to build the best company culture, where employees experience their best job ever, where they do meaningful work, are respected, and truly feel part of the family. When he’s not running numbers, he’s running. . . races and half-marathons that is, with his lovely wife throughout the U.S.
Chief Development Officer
Michael Heitsman
Explorative. Innovator. Respectful.
Michael is an accomplished architect with a vast amount of experience as a leader, innovator and technical expert, and founder/principal of his own design firm, Pure Design. Michael holds a Master of Architecture Degree from Kansas State University and was honored with the prestigious 99K House Competition Finalist award and most recently the 2020 Steel Competition Finalist award. In his 14 years of experience he has been responsible for architectural design, detailing, development, master planning, project management and strategy. He is skilled at solving complex problems with innovative solutions and the ability to lead projects through all phases of design.
His work on modular, hospitality, and multi-family projects reflects his guiding principle–to design environments that enrich communities and set the highest of standards for experiencing architecture, an architecture of substance thoughtfully tailored to the needs and aspirations of each client. He approaches each project as a unique opportunity to listen and learn by working closely with each person involved, no matter their status on the project. He intuitively understands how people use spaces and how those spaces influence the ways people behave and interact: vertical and horizontal circulation, movement of goods and services, and space requirements for various operational uses. In addition, his expertise in codes and regulations leads to practical strategies that assure regulatory compliance while producing creative solutions to client challenges. The result of which are sensible and successful design solutions that are of lasting value to his clients. When Michael isn’t creating designs, he’s spending time with his family and cheering on the Chiefs, his hometown and favorite football team.
Principal/Architect
Casey Culbertson
Detail-oriented. Adaptable. Compassionate.
Casey is a Principal Architect at Pure Design. Casey holds a bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Kansas State University, is a member of the American Institute of Architects, is LEED AP certified, and has over 13 years’ experience in architectural design. He brings unique skills to projects. Casey is a very detail-oriented designer, capable of seeing a project from inception through completion and combines a capacity to actively listen and question assumptions with a gift of producing sophisticated drawings in real time with clients. He is self-motivated, has excellent interpersonal skills, takes on leadership roles without hesitation, and exhibits superior Revit capabilities. Casey is committed to making a difference through life-long volunteering to local organizations. As a result, Casey was honored with the Paul Harris Fellow award in 2013, through Rotary International. Casey loves spending time with his wife and 3 children.
Director of People Operations
Christine Burger
Approachable. Spirited. Go-Getter.
With a Master’s in Business Administration, a Bachelor’s in Human Resources, Global, Senior and Senior Certified Professional certifications in Human Resources, and 25 years of strategic human resource experience, Chris is committed to providing Best GEN employees with the best employee experience possible. The adoption of a People Ops mentality represents a shift in the way Best GEN wants to understand the value of their employees, which includes understanding employees holistically as individual contributors, and then designing work so employees want to be there, present, engaged, and proud of what they do. Chris is responsible for investing in the engagement and development of employees, as people, which first benefits the employee, and as a result, the company as a whole. Chris loves spending time with her grandbabies, riding the Black Hills with her husband on their Indian Motorcycle, and bringing people together.
Facility Manager
Corey McLaughlin
Passionate. Willing. Energetic.
Corey is the Facility Manager of our Madison, South Dakota custom home manufacturing operation. Corey brings over 30 years’ experience in prefabricated home and multi-family structures, Operations, Product Creation and Lean Manufacturing to the table. As a subject matter expert in the industry, Corey also demonstrates strong sales, interpersonal and leadership skills. Corey, interestingly enough, has a novel retirement planning strategy, which includes maintaining his vehicles way past the 300,000-mile odometer reading.
Director of Business Development
Ross Batie
Empathetic. Eager. Enthusiastic.
Ross is Best GEN’s Director of Business Development with over 25 years’ experience driving market share and sales by developing strategic business relationships. He hails from the construction world he grew to love by driving his first nail at 15-years of age and he’s never left. From hands-on laborer to estimator to project management, to business development, operations and team leadership, he built a business from scratch to a multi-million dollar operation in 5 years. His super-hero qualities include his honesty, great listening skills, and never-take-no-for-an-answer tenacity. He deals with all aspects of business development from identifying new business opportunities and sales campaign ideation to creating a sales pipeline, price structuring, estimating and growth strategy development. Ross is passionate about improving and growing Best GEN’s modular business into the best in the US, sharing our success through growth and new job creation, and impressing the world with the innovative “built by Best GEN” form of modular. Ross is an avid golfer, a huge sports fan and quite the outdoorsman that he loves to share with his fun and loving family!
Facility Manager
Jay Christensen
Diligent. Empathetic. Doer.
Jay is the Facility Manager of our Watertown, South Dakota manufacturing operation. His demonstrated expertise in managing the operation come from his 40 years of running his own construction company and managing large and complex projects. There is never a shortage of Red Vines in Jay’s office, which he enjoys sharing with employees and visitors alike, but sharing his Friday afternoons with anything or anyone other than golf is not likely.
Production Manager
Mike Huntley
Dedicated. Practical. Teambuilder.
Mike brings a technical college education and 30 years’ experience in Operations Management, Negotiation, Budgeting, Customer Service, and Sales to the Best GEN family. Mike is knowledgeable about the business, collaborative, creative, and leads by example. He is dedicated to ensuring the best possible culture for our employees while maintaining a grasp on the practical. Mike is a proud father of seven, and bleeds Vikings purple.
Want to work at Best GEN?
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For general questions, contact the Best GEN team at (605) 718 1001.
For specific questions by location, contact them directly!
