About Us
Our Story
Real Barns. Real Steel. Real People.
South Dakota native Ryan Rusher was on an evening drive through the South Dakota countryside — fields and farmhouses, rolling hills and grassy plains unfolding before him as he followed the dirt road. The worn tin roof of a dilapidated wooden barn caught his eye. After a few moments, Ryan had an idea.
Rough, old barns — falling down and no longer in use — are commonplace in the Midwest. Remnants of farming days gone by, their structures are storytellers of work and life from decades and even a century ago. Ryan wondered: what if he could put those barns to use, preserving history and giving their stories new life?
Dakota Tin was born — taking once-obsolete tin from old barn roofs and repurposing it into rustic ceiling tiles, wainscoting, and wall panels that capture the essence of rural life and the history of the Midwest. Drawing on the knowledge and expertise from his first entrepreneurial venture, CeilingConnex™, Ryan built Dakota Tin to evoke a nostalgic, aged atmosphere for homes and businesses across the country.
Meet Ryan
Ryan Rusher is a product designer with an expansive background in mechanical engineering. His passion — using manufacturing processes to create efficient solutions for construction, automotive, and remodeling markets — allows him to deliver high-quality, cost-effective products for homes and businesses.
Beyond his work, Ryan is involved in local community groups, personal home-improvement projects, and has a weakness for competitive automotive racing. He spends his free time with his wife and two children, watching their baseball games and kayaking the Missouri River, located just a few minutes from their home in Yankton, South Dakota.
Meet Stephany
Stephany is our General Manager and the friendly voice on the other end of most calls and emails. With over a decade of customer-care experience, she leads our day-to-day operations and is the person customers work with on quotes, custom orders, install questions, shipping arrangements, and our larger commercial projects.
From a single backsplash to a full restaurant build-out, Stephany will guide you to the right materials and keep your project on track. She's eager to keep growing with the company as Dakota Tin builds new partnerships and finds better ways to serve our customers.
The Team
Dakota Tin has grown — and so has the team. We're a small crew based in Yankton, SD, and when you call or email, you reach a real person who actually makes, packs, and ships your order. No call centers. No outsourced support. Just the people below.
Ashley
Customer Service & Office
Ashley answers the phones, helps customers find what they need, and handles returns. When the production team needs an extra set of hands, she jumps in there too. If you call us, she's often the first person you'll talk to.
Kyle
Production & Spraying Lead
Kyle leads our spraying operation — the heart of how we apply our Rusted finish, age our Colorado Premium panels, and seal product before it ships. The look and feel of every finish-applied panel that leaves our shop runs through Kyle's hands.
Sandra
Fulfillment & Packaging
Sandra anchors our packaging operation, especially on the Amazon and Wayfair side. If your shipment shows up well-protected and ready to install, that's Sandra's work.
Carson
Shipping
Carson handles shipping and pitches in across the back of the house wherever there's a project that needs attention. Mechanically minded and quick on his feet — he keeps product moving out the door.
Blake
Fulfillment Lead
Blake leads our fulfillment team and oversees the Amazon merchant-fulfilled side of our operation. He's focused on accuracy, speed, and getting orders out the door clean.