--------------------------------------------------------------------- SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 FORM 11-K ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 ----------------------------------------------------- For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2001 and 2000 Commission File Number 001-31303 BLACK HILLS CORPORATION RETIREMENT SAVINGS PLAN BLACK HILLS CORPORATION 625 NINTH STREET PO BOX 1400 RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA 57709 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Black Hills Corporation Retirement Savings Plan Financial statements as of December 31, 2001 and 2000 together with report of independent public accountants Index to financial statements and supplemental schedules Page Report of independent public accountants 1 Statements of net assets available for benefits 2 Statements of changes in net assets available for benefits 3 Notes to financial statements 4 Schedule H, line 4i-- Schedule of Assets (Held At End of Year) 7 Schedule G, Part III-- Nonexempt Transactions 10 Report of independent public accountants To the Trustee of Black Hills Corporation Retirement Savings Plan: We have audited the accompanying statements of net assets available for benefits of the Black Hills Corporation Retirement Savings Plan as of December 31, 2001 and 2000, and the related statements of changes in net assets available for benefits for the years then ended. These financial statements and the supplemental schedules referred to below are the responsibility of the Plan's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements and supplemental schedules based on our audits. We conducted our audits in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements and supplemental schedules are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements and supplemental schedules. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion. In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the net assets available for benefits of the Black Hills Corporation Retirement Savings Plan as of December 31, 2001 and 2000, and the changes in net assets available for benefits for the years then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. Our audits were made for the purpose of forming an opinion on the basic financial statements taken as a whole. The supplemental schedules of assets held for investment purposes and nonexempt transactions are presented for purposes of additional analysis and are not a required part of the basic financial statements but are supplementary information required by the Department of Labor's Rules and Regulations for Reporting and Disclosure under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. These supplemental schedules have been subjected to the auditing procedures applied in the audit of the basic financial statements and, in our opinion, are fairly stated in all material respects in relation to the basic financial statements taken as a whole. Arthur Andersen LLP Minneapolis, Minnesota, April 25, 2002 1 Black Hills Corporation Retirement Savings Plan Statements of net assets available for benefits As of December 31 2001 2000 ---- ---- CASH $ 6,546 $ 7,995 INVESTMENTS, at fair value: 29,205,700 31,615,328 CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVABLE: Employee 20,346 15,989 Employer 8,502 5,980 INVESTMENT TRANSACTIONS PENDING 46,500 3,543 ------------ ------------ NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS $ 29,287,594 $ 31,648,835 ============ ============ The accompanying notes are an integral part of these statements. 2 Black Hills Corporation Retirement Savings Plan Statements of changes in net assets available for benefits For the years ended December 31 2001 2000 NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS, beginning of year $ 31,648,835 $ 24,240,845 ------------- ------------- INCREASES (DECREASES) DURING THE YEAR: Participant contributions 2,771,292 3,905,269 Employer matching contributions 933,233 574,290 Investment interest and dividends 694,891 1,372,971 Net appreciation (depreciation) in fair value of investments (5,150,125) 3,050,147 Net realized gain on sale of investments 132,449 363,713 Administrative expenses (4,350) (2,750) Distributions to participants (1,738,631) (1,855,650) ------------- ------------- Net increase (decrease) in net assets (2,361,241) 7,407,990 ------------- ------------- NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS, end of year $ 29,287,594 $ 31,648,835 ============= ============= The accompanying notes are an integral part of these statements. 3 BLACK HILLS CORPORATION RETIREMENT SAVINGS PLAN Notes to financial statements December 31, 2001 and 2000 1 Description of the Plan ---------------------------- The following is not a comprehensive description of the Plan and, therefore, does not include all situations and limitations covered by the Plan. Participants should refer to the plan agreement for more complete information. General The Black Hills Corporation Retirement Savings Plan (the Plan) is a defined contribution plan for eligible employees of Black Hills Corporation and certain subsidiary companies of Black Hills Corporation (the Company). The eligible employees may have a percentage of their compensation withheld and contributed to the Plan, subject to limitations, as defined. The Plan is subject to the provisions of the Employment Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and is designed to comply with the provisions of Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code (the Code). Merrill Lynch serves as the asset custodian and record keeper. The Plan is administered by the Black Hills Corporation Benefits Committee (the Committee). The Committee is the trustee of the Plan. Plan expenses Administrative fees of approximately $51,700 and $60,800 were paid by the Company in 2001 and 2000. Eligibility and vesting Employees are eligible to participate in the Plan on the first day of employment. Participants are immediately vested in the value of their pretax salary reduction contributions. Participants vest 20 percent per year in employer matching contributions until reaching five years of service. At that time, participants are 100 percent vested in employer matching contributions. Participants also become fully vested in employer matching contributions if their employment with the Company is terminated due to retirement at or after attainment of age 65, total and permanent disability, or death. Forfeitures from participant's who have terminated from the Plan prior to attaining 100 percent vesting rights are used to reduce the Company's annual matching contributions. Contributions The maximum percentage of compensation an employee may contribute to the Plan is 20 percent, with an annual maximum contribution of $10,500, as provided by the Code. There is no limit to the number of times participants may change their contribution percentages. Amounts contributed are invested at the discretion of plan participants in any of the 28 investment options or individual investments as directed by the participant. Effective January 1, 2000 (May 1, 2000 for employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement), the Plan was amended to include a discretionary dollar-for-dollar Company matching contribution, up to a maximum of 3 percent of an individual participant's compensation. Rollover contributions The Plan received $382,579 and $2,102,946 in rollover transfers from other qualified plans in 2001 and 2000, respectively, which are included in participant contributions on the statements of changes in net assets available for benefits. In 2000 approximately $1.7 million of the rollover transfers came from participants who were formerly employed by Indeck Capital, Inc., which was merged into Black Hills Energy Capital, Inc in 2000. 4 Participant loans The Plan contains a loan provision which allows participants to borrow up to a maximum equal to the lesser of $50,000 or 50 percent of their vested account balances at an interest rate of 1 percent over the prime interest rate and to repay the loan through payroll deductions, with a maximum repayment period of five years. During 2001 and 2000, interest rates on outstanding participant loans ranged from 5.75 percent to 10.50 percent and from 8.75 percent to 10.50 percent. Loans are prohibited for terminated employees. Distributions to participants Employee account balances are distributable upon retirement, disability, death, termination from the Company or hardship. Upon the occurrence of one of these events, a participant (or the participant's beneficiary in the case of death) may receive his or her account balance as a lump-sum payment or installment payments over a period of no more than 10 years. Amendments and termination The Company reserves the right to amend or terminate the Plan at any time. Upon termination of the Plan participants become 100 percent vested, and all assets will be distributed among the participants in accordance with plan provisions. 2 Summary of significant accounting policies ----------------------------------------------- Basis of accounting The accompanying financial statements have been prepared using the accrual basis of accounting. Investment valuation and income recognition Investments of the Plan are stated at fair value. Shares of registered investment companies are valued at quoted market prices, which represent the net asset value of shares held by the Plan at year-end. Realized gains and losses on sales of investments represent the difference between the net proceeds from the sale of investments and their historical cost. Unrealized appreciation or depreciation of investments represents changes in the market value of investments. Purchases and sales of securities are reflected on a trade-date basis. Interest income is recognized when earned. Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date. Use of estimates The preparation of financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of net assets available for benefits at the date of the financial statements and the reported amount of changes in net assets available for benefits during the reporting period. Ultimate results could differ from those estimates. Reclassification Certain 2000 amounts have been reclassified to conform to the 2001 presentation. These reclassifications had no effect on net assets available for benefits or the net increase in net assets available for benefits as previously reported. 3 Investments ---------------- The investment options of the Plan at December 31, 2001 include collective trusts of Merrill Lynch, mutual funds, common stock of the Company and other investments as self-directed by participants. Units (shares) of the various investment funds are valued daily at net asset value (which equals market value). The investment options are participant directed and participants may change their investment elections daily. 5 The following presents investments that represent 5 percent or more of the Plan's net assets as of December 31: 2001 2000 ---- ---- Merrill Lynch Retirement Preservation Trust $ 4,136,646 $ 3,173,244 Merrill Lynch Equity Index Trust 1 3,865,916 4,444,205 Managers International Equity Fund 1,865,202 2,490,145 Merrill Lynch Growth Fund * 2,103,703 Davis New York Venture Fund 1,898,412 1,588,978 Black Hills Corporation common stock 9,044,297 11,958,351 *Under 5 percent. 4 Tax status --------------- The Plan obtained its latest determination letter on October 9, 2001, in which the Internal Revenue Service stated that the Plan, as then designed, was in compliance with the applicable requirements of the Code. The Plan has been amended since receiving the determination letter; however, the plan administrator and the Plan's legal counsel believe that the Plan is currently designed and being operated in compliance with the applicable requirements of the Code. 5 Party-in-interest transactions ----------------------------------- The Plan invests in Merrill Lynch funds and Black Hills Corporation stock. These transactions qualify as exempt party-in-interest transactions. 6 Risks and uncertainties ---------------------------- The Plan provides for investment in a variety of investment funds. Investments in general are exposed to various risks, such as interest rate, credit and overall market volatility risk. Due to the level of risk associated with certain investments, it is reasonably possible that changes in the values of the investments will occur in the near term and that such changes could materially affect participants' account balances and the amounts reported in the statements of net assets available for benefits. 6 Black Hills Corporation Retirement Savings Plan (Employer identification number: 46-0458824) (Plan number: 003) Schedule H, line 4i-- Schedule of Assets (Held At End of Year) As of December 31, 2001 Description Cost** Current value -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------- --------------- CASH FUND: Merrill Lynch Ready Assets* $ 25,454 --------------- Total cash fund 25,454 --------------- COLLECTIVE TRUSTS: Merrill Lynch Equity Index Trust 1* 3,865,916 Merrill Lynch Retirement Preservation Trust* 4,136,646 --------------- Total collective trusts 8,002,562 --------------- MUTUAL FUNDS: Merrill Lynch Growth Fund* 1,390,695 Merrill Lynch Pacific Fund* 31,706 PIMCO Total Return Fund 1,455,429 PIMCO Mid-Cap Growth Fund 54,353 Munder Framlington Health Care Fund 361,615 Van Kampen Worldwide High Income Fund 11,506 Oppenheimer Gold & Special Minerals Fund 36,549 Seligman Communications Fund 1,343,600 Oppenheimer Global Fund 909,160 Alliance Quasar Fund 54,105 Oppenheimer US Government Fund 144,090 State Street Research Global Fund 33,913 Franklin Balance Sheet Fund 143,077 Pioneer Europe Fund 57,036 Federated International Income Fund 10,728 Massachusetts Investors Growth Fund 95,056 Davis New York Venture Fund 1,898,412 Managers International Equity Fund 1,865,202 Davis Series Convertible Securities Fund 89,430 Vam Kampen Real Estate Securities Fund 145,517 Merrill Lynch Capital Fund* 690,626 --------------- Total mutual funds 10,821,805 --------------- COMMON STOCK: Black Hills Corp.* 9,044,297 Self-Direct Accounts: Abbott Labs 3,345 ADC Telecommunctns Inc. 1,380 Allcopiers Corp. 1 AOL Time Warner Inc. 20,223 Apple Computer Inc. 41,610 Ariba Inc. 1,392 AT&T Wireless Services 4,613 AT&T Corp. 18,140 7 Description Cost** Current value -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------- --------------- COMMON STOCK (continued): Avista Corp. $ 1,989 Calpine Corp. 1,763 Cendant Corp. 5,883 Charter Commncatns Inc A 1,643 Check Point Software Tech 2,991 Cisco Systems Inc. 42,558 Corning Inc. 2,676 Cypress Semicndtr PV1CTS 9,965 E Trade Group Inc. 4,100 Echelon Corporation EL 8,496 EMC Corporation Mass 8,064 Ericsn LM TEL SEK10B ADR 3,340 Exxon Mobil Corp. 39,300 Fuelcell Energy Inc. 3,881 Globalsantafe Corp. 9,468 Globalstar Telecom 178 Grey Wolf Inc. 5,940 Hollywood Media Corp. FLA 1,318 Intel Corp. 20,443 Intl Rectifier Corp. 5,232 Knight Trading Group Inc. 826 Koninkl Phil E NY SH NEW 8,733 Laser Vision Centers 621 LSI Logic Corp. 1,262 Lucent Technologies Inc. 9,450 Marketing Svcs Gp In New 50 Mcdata Corp. CL A DEL 73 Medarex Inc. 3,915 Micron Technology Inc. 15,500 Motorola Inc. 5,257 Navarre Corp. 545 Nokia Corp. 17,171 Nortel Networks Corp. New 1,492 Pfizer Inc. Del 19,925 Philip Morris Cos Inc. 22,925 PMC Sierra Inc. 14,882 Protein Polymer Techs 17,382 Qlogic Corp. 4,451 RF Micro Devices Inc. 961 Rite Aid Corporation 2,530 Safeguard Scientifics 525 Scientific Atlanta 2,394 Southwest Airlns Co. 10,662 8 Description Cost** Current value -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------- --------------- COMMON STOCK (continued): Texas Instruments $ 4,200 Wal Mart Stores Inc. 8,632 Worldcom Inc-MCI Group 88 Worldcom Inc-WORLDCOM GR 4,083 --------------- Total common stock 9,492,764 PARTICIPANT LOANS, with interest rates ranging from 5.75% to 10.50%* 863,115 --------------- Total investments $ 29,205,700 =============== *Denotes party in interest. **Cost is not required for participant-directed accounts. 9 Black Hills Corporation Retirement Savings Plan (Employer identification number: 46-0458824) (Plan number: 003) Schedule G, Part III -- Nonexempt Transactions For the year ended December 31, 2001 Relationship to the Plan, Description of transactions, including Interest Identity of employer or other maturity date, rate of interest, Amount incurred party involved party in interest collateral, and par or maturity value loaned on loan ----------------------- ----------------- -------------------------------------- ----------- ------------ Black Hills Corporation Sponsor Lending of moneys from the Plan to the $ 974 $ - employer (contributions not timely remitted to the Plan), as follows: Deemed loans dated 1/22/01 and 6/21/01, with respective maturities of 2/21/01 and 6/26/01. 10 SIGNATURE Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the 401K Retirement Savings Plan Committee has duly caused this Annual Report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized. Black Hills Corporation 401K Retirement Savings Plan Date: May 14, 2002 By /s/ Roxann R. Basham --------------------------------------- Roxann R. Basham