A new chapter is on the horizon for the National Bison
Association (NBA). Beginning August 1, the office will be based out of Rapid City, SD, in a move
that marks only the second relocation in thirty years and the first out of the state of Colorado.
The NBA began its tenure in Denver in 1995, eventually moving the office out of the historic
National Western Stock Show yards to Westminster, where it has been based since 2002. While
the office location will be moving north, the Denver area will continue to host the NBA’s Winter
Conference and Gold Trophy Show and Sale in January 2026.
The NBA Board of Directors voted unanimously in 2024 to move the office to its new location,
and the NBA and Center of Excellence (COE) for Bison Studies at South Dakota State University
(SDSU) have been working together since then to facilitate the transition. While the NBA’s roots
will always be in Colorado, the organization has evolved to operate in a largely virtual manner,
with staff now based in four states. This remote approach to staffing allows the NBA to hire top
talent, while expanding NBA staff to different parts of buffalo-country, with current employees
in Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota, to better serve membership with more local
resources.
“We are excited for this move and what it will bring to the organization,” said NBA Executive
Director Jim Matheson. “We have worked closely with the COE since its inception, and this is
another step to further our collaboration while better serving the greater bison industry. The
NBA office location might be changing, but no staff will be relocating, and our focus remains on
our members across North America and beyond.”
Initially announced in January 2025, the office location change is part of a memorandum of
understanding signed with the COE. The new NBA office will be located within the SDSU West
River Research and Extension Center, where the COE is also housed.
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National Bison Association
