The Barn at Aspen Acres created by CHS alum

In the month of March the United States celebrates women in business and women in leadership. This is a time to celebrate the growth and accomplishments of female entrepreneurs. Women should be highly recognized during this time. My older sister, Tia Berens, is one woman I chose to honor.

In the month of March the United States celebrates women in business and women in leadership. This is a time to celebrate the growth and accomplishments of female entrepreneurs. Women should be highly recognized during this time. My older sister, Tia Berens, is one woman I chose to honor.Tia recently built a large venue to provide a beautiful area to host weddings and receptions, as well as any type of event someone might want to hold. The Barn at Aspen Acres is the official name of her business.

Tia graduated high school from Chadron High School in 2008 and later moved on to graduate college from Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota, where she still lives today. Her degree is in business administration with an emphasis in marketing and management. Before starting her own business, Tia worked as a director of business development of a home care company. 

The Barn is located on the outskirts of Spearfish. She and her husband, Dan Berens, saw a gap in the market and decided to go for it to make money in a unique, fun way. My dad, her husband, and a manager from a previous job were some mentors that encouraged her to pursue this business. She constantly thanks them for the help and support they have put in to make her business possible. 

With many obstacles along the way, the whole product took her about one year to finish. The Barn has officially been open for seven months now and has already seen extreme success. She has had 12 weddings/events hosted this far, including her own, and has 40 plus scheduled for the upcoming 2020 summer. To make this business possible, there is a lot of behind the scene work being done. Tia said, ¨The amount of work I do during each event is so broad. Overall, lots of planning, coordinating, managing, and executing all aspects of wedding and event planning are done.¨  She says her business has brought her many pros and cons as well. Some pros being the income that comes from it, the happiness from people who host or attend the events, and the uniqueness; there are not very many places like this around the area. Some cons include lots of labor intensive work and conflicts with alcohol. 

Although it may get tough at some points along the way, Tia still finds things to keep herself motivated in the business. The money that comes along with it, being task oriented, and thriving off the happiness that comes from her customers and clients are what motivates her. Tia says she looks forward with positivity everyday to keep her business successful and ongoing.