Paisley , Paul , Brandy and Emmy Tarap
If you need an example of a couple who moved to Custer and opened a successful business , look no further than Paul and Dr . Brandy Tarap .
The Taraps , residents of Custer since 2016 , are owners of Southern Hills Family Medicine , a burgeoning family medicine practice launched in December 2021 .
The Taraps grew up in Napa , Calif ., and say they “ moved to Custer before it was popular to move here .” Brandy , a family medicine specialist , attended college at St . Mary ’ s College , before attending medical school at Ross University .
Brandy ’ s clinicals were done in Michigan , and she and her husband searched the internet for a place away from Michigan for her to do her residence . It was then they stumbled upon the Rapid City Family Medicine website , and found there was a onemonth rotation available . It quickly became their first choice .
From there , Brandy did three years in Rapid City for residency , and upon graduating from residency in 2016 she almost immediately came to Monument Health Custer Hospital ( then Regional Health ) to
10 10 Custer Area Chamber of Commerce Directory 2024 begin serving the community as a doctor .
When Brandy was in medical school she had a preceptor who had their own private practice clinic , and her husband was the office manager and their daughter handled the billing .
“ I really loved that small , local setup and taking care of the entire family ,” she said . “ I thought that was really amazing . I thought that would be the ultimate goal to do something like that .”
That was a longterm goal , however , with no set timeframe in mind . The longer they were in Custer and as Brandy became more established , however , the wheels turned more toward branching off into her own practice . Paul was her biggest supporter in doing so . In fact , he helped with a lot of behind the scenes work to make it a reality .
“ Things just kind of lined up and it looked like it was going to be a possibility ,” Brandy said . “ And here we are .”
Now , Paul serves as the office manager , clinic manager , unofficial IT guru , “ CEO , CFO ” valet and even does some vacuuming . the couple ’ s daughters , Paisley and Emmy , are at the facility on Fridays and
other days in the afternoon , and Brandy ’ s mother is the front desk receptionist . It ’ s truly family medicine . “ It ’ s been really good . I feel like the patients , customers are so loyal to us ,” Paul said . “ We have a lot of community support , which is humbling .”
Custer is now home , with a thriving business the community supports . The Taraps don ’ t plan on going anywhere anytime soon , and likely couldn ’ t anyway . Their girls like the country life too much .
“ The kids love being able to have animals ,” Brandy said . “ We love living in Custer .”
Paul said he feels there is a sense of pride in Custer , that the townspeople can stand on their own and get what they need for services in town without having to go to larger cities . That , in turn , creates the local support the Taraps and other businesses see from Custer residents .
“ People are proud to support the local business and keep business in Custer rather than go out to Rapid City or Chadron ,” he said . “ We can survive on our own in Custer .”