Mangiamo Pizza in Hill City learned the meaning on community after a cyberscam

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - Owning a small business in a tourist town during the off-season comes with challenges. Fewer people coming to town means less money is being made.

But what happens when a local pizza restaurant owner was scammed out of over $20,000 in January? Well, it was his community that built him back up.

At the end of 2020, Russell Leatherman decided he needed a change of pace with his career, so his family moved to Hill City.

“I had been working for the military and law enforcement for about 33 years and I was looking for something to do, a little more domestic where I can hang my hat in a small town, and kind of eke out a living,” says owner Russell Leatherman.

Eventually, Leatherman landed on the idea of opening a pizza restaurant, like Hill City had never seen before.

“Talking to some of the folks here in town, they were looking for a place to go and have a pizza or pasta. Something that would be open year-round and open until like 9 o’clock at night, just be available. Which is difficult in a tourist town like Hill City.”

After months of preparations and even traveling to Italy to train under professionals, Leatherman brought his recipes to the Black Hills.

“We wanted to focus on good quality ingredients in our pasta and our pizza with world famous recipes, award-winning recipes,” Leatherman continues.

While he was new to Hill City, he noticed immediately that it was a place with true community, one that was looking for a change.

“They’re so used to business owners coming in, starting a business, and leaving. Or coming in, opening a business in the summertime, and then going back home for the off-season instead of keeping the business open during the off-season.”

Throughout the years, Leatherman has noticed the struggles that come with staying open during the off-season.

“We are faced with the challenges too of a very slow winter season. When snowflakes fall on a February night people tend to stay home and our customers change from the summer season to the off-season. It is a challenge for all of our business owners to make ends meet in the wintertime,” he says.

It was in January of this year, one of the slowest months of the year, that Leatherman faced true adversity,

“We had an instance of some cybercrime that happened. We lost over $20,000 which was taken from our account. We have the police and FBI looking into all that but that’s money that I’d set aside and reserved to help us through those winter months. When that reserved money gets pulled away and you’re left with an empty bucket, it’s tough. To the point where I sold my house and took all the proceeds from that, been using that for payroll. I get choked up because these guys that work here, they, for two months they worked, for no paycheck. They went for four pay periods with no checks and then after I sold my house, I got them all caught up with paychecks. Along with Uncle Sam and the utilities and our stakeholders, who are still waiting for it to be paid. It all just kind of put us behind, it’s been tough to sit here and try to stay open through these challenges.”

To him, opening a business was about more than money.

“Providing jobs and a place to work for local folks. And you know, folks that, in the wintertime don’t otherwise have a place to produce an income or revenue in the off-season.”

Despite these challenges, Leatherman was determined not to let the scam set him too far back.

He then truly learned what it means to be a part of this community, as another local business, Nerdy Nuts, was able to help.

“We really are empathetic with Mangiamo’s because they have a really great tourist season and then in the winter, they are in Hill City and it’s tough. That’s why having a community is so important because you can have support in the times that you need it,” says co-founder of Nerdy Nuts, Craig Mount.

Nerdy Nuts donated enough money to keep Leatherman afloat until the summer season began. It’s that time when both business owners hope to see Mangiamo’s and all local businesses thrive.

Mangiamo Pizza is located at 158 Museum Drive in Hill City.