Austin Daily Herald
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Progress 2017
The Austin area has enjoyed significant growth in recent years. Employment is growing, and our economy is expanding and diversifying. Austin is a great place to be today. We are working to make it an even better place tomorrow, through the work of community partners involved with Vision 20/20 and the Business Friendly Committee.
Austin Daily Herald
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Agriculture
24. Atewologun: President’s interest in ag helps shape vision for Riverland 26. Cedar River Watershed: A roadmap for water quality
30. LeRoy-Ostrander: After break, varsity football is back under the lights 34. Grand Meadow: Superlarks have established excellence 38. Hayfield: Fred Kindschy is making a difference 42. RCC: Training with the best
Community
44. APAC: Waking to a new approach 46. Health: Grow Mower good
Business
50. Hormel: A formula for the future 52. Museum: Around the world for Spam 54. Old 218: All in the family
56. ACGV: From the bench to the beside 58. Dexter: A break for farmers
Organizations 62. 64. 66. 70. 72. 74.
Lyle: Lions roar back Grace Baptist: 4,800 miles to share the Gospel Blooming Prairie: A monument to veterans Rec center: Another place to play Library: ‘Something’s happening’ Summerset: 50 years of theater
Faces
78. Dave Pike: Dedicated to serve in Brownsdale 80. Wendell Sprung: Leading Scouts in Rose Creek, Adams 82. Noah Kremin: The study of film 86. 30 under 40: We look at 30 men and women under age 40 helping to shape our area.
PUBLISHER Jana Gray EDITORIAL EDITOR Jason Schoonover CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jason Schoonover Deb Nicklay Eric Johnson Rocky Hulne Ashley Harrington PHOTOGRAPHY Eric Johnson Jason Schoonover Deb Nicklay ART GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Colby Hansen Susan Downey Eric Johnson Jason Schoonver SALES & PROMOTION ADVERTISING MANAGER Heather Ryks SALES REPRESENTATIVES LeAnn Fischer Brenda Landherr Mike Delhanty
PICTURED LEFT: Noah Kremin looks back over a scene he shot for a movie he’s making to apply to film school. Read more on Page 82.
Progress 2017
8. Packer Nation: Students hone skills by producing weekly news program 10. Adams: Community, staff make Sacred Heart work 14. Austin’s own: Teacher prep program moves ahead 16. Pacelli: Omnes res Latino (All things Latin) 18. A place for us: Austin-Albert Lea Special Education Cooperative 22. FFA: Austin High’s expanding program
Sports
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Education
Austin Daily Herald
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Austin Daily Herald
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Austin Daily Herald
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Progress 2017
Lights, camera,
Packer Nation AHS students hone skills by producing weekly news program
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Austin Daily Herald
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Media/technology instructor Amity Kollars signals two students, who are anchoring “Packer Nation,” to be ready to record. In the background is Jonathan Rodriguez. PICTURED ABOVE: Packer Nation anchors Hannah Graves and Diego Hernandez during a recording session. Note the green screen behind them; during the editing process, backgrounds will be inserted.
“So every week, we’re thinking of the new idea for the next one after this one. It’s not as easy as it sounds.” — Amity Kollars AHS media/technology instructor
Story and photos by Deb Nicklay
t first glance, it looks like a bit of a lark, helping produce a news program. Well, being on Austin High School’s weekly show, “Packer Nation,” is fun. But it’s more than that. Students at AHS work with a green screen and computer editing; they create graphics and interview subjects. During one week, they might interview teachers on a favorite subject or students on their favorite music group. The tennis team was interviewed in one past episode; in still another, students filmed a behind-the-scenes take on what it takes to produce the show. A new show is filmed every week and if students don’t keep on top of schedules, “they find out pretty quickly how they can get behind,” said instructor Amity Kollars. It’s also a credit-earning class that requires students to perform a variety of duties, from brainstorming ideas to editing; from appearing as one of the news anchors to writing scripts. It is time-sensitive: A show is produced every week, no matter what. “So every week, we’re thinking of the new idea for the next one after this one,” said Kollars. “It’s not as easy as it sounds.” “It’s fun, it’s difficult; it’s like trying to do everything,” said senior Gari Gari, who on this week anchored a newscast. The 17-year-old said the class provides a menu of opportunities, and he has found
editing among his favorite things to do. But being in front of the camera? Not so much. That’s not the case with Goy (“Your Boy Goy,” he introduces himself on camera) Lam, who clearly enjoys being on camera. Although he is one of the anchors on this particular week, it’s clear that his real love is in interviewing others. “I enjoyed boys’ basketball; the story I did at the Spam Museum — that was my favorite,” said Lam. Another student, sophomore Chandler Pratt, said he loves the class, and has a special interest in interviewing and editing stories. At 15, he already expresses excitement for production. What students choose and where they excel is “always really interesting,” said Kollars, who has taught the class for two years. She requires her students take a prior class in video production or a journalism class before they tackle Packer Nation. The show usually has four interviews or features, as well as calendar items for the week. On Dec. 12, for instance, the kids did stories on the school’s art show, weight room, dance team and basketball team; a week earlier, their stories were about the life of a hall monitor (done with comedy as hall monitors snuck around corners and ran down halls to tackle kids), a survey on Android versus Apple, and a story on roller shoes, more popularly known as Heeleys.
Progress 2017
ABOVE: From left, Mariel Flaherty, Nick Leite and Sam Longworth watch their edited video of Matt Tebay interviewing Arik Andersen. BELOW: Two teams of Brady Olson (standing) and Chandler Pratt (sitting) and Jesse Synoground, right foreground and Corey Waller, work on separate segments for the show.
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life skills that truly support student growth and preparedness for their future. They also incorporate academic skills from other content areas into their own to help students make connections and provide them additional opportunities to see the application of a skill.” But creativity and learning new skills also comes with honing judgment. “We stress objectivity; feelings can get hurt very easily,” said Kollars. “And, we have to watch whether or not the subject is ‘school appropriate,’ and sometimes, we can get surprised. We had one story pulled” by the school administration. Stories have to stick within school guidelines for appropriateness — no profanity, no violence — and music is mostly instrumental, so that less-than-appropriate song lyrics don’t offend. But that might be a relatively easy challenge to accept compared to something far, far worse: audience apathy. “We had heard, on occasion, that the shows are boring sometimes,” Kollars said. “We’re pretty sensitive to that. So we work pretty hard to have more appealing stories, to get creative or have some that have some fun.” Kollars is happy with the skill sets that come out of the class. Teamwork is a big one — no one works in a vacuum here — and sharing responsibility for a part of the show is another. They learn to delegate duties, and they also need to have faith in what they are doing. “Many advocate for their shows,” Kollars said. But the biggest skill that Kollars likes to see develop “is how not to procrastinate.” “No matter what they do, they realize pretty quickly that by Friday, everything needs to be done,” she said. “If your part isn’t done, that affects others.” P
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After the segments are written and scripted, the features are filmed. In house, the news anchors are filmed with their segment in a room in the media center of the school. Against a green screen, the anchors chat about upcoming events and introduce features, all to be edited into a seamless episode. The green screen background is transformed during the editing process — it could be a wintry scene, as it was during a Christmas episode; in another, you see what looks like a Spanish village in the background. On this day, junior Hannah Graves joins fellow student Diego Hernandez at the anchor desk and they work with Kollars to roll through their duties smoothly. Behind Kollars, who is shooting the segment, is a regular screen that has the anchors’ script, so the students can face forward and read the teleprompter. “Ohhhh, I didn’t like my voice there,” said Graves after one segment is played back. It takes three takes to get to what the students consider acceptable. There are times the anchors inexplicably wear hats or, sometimes, wigs. Actor Steve Buscemi’s face may suddenly appear in the middle of the video for a few seconds and then disappear. Chalk it up to providing a light mood. The segments are then edited to their 15-minute length. While kids learn a lot about the technical end of production, they also have to think about content. Kollars gives them their lead, so to speak, and wants them to investigate their creativity. That quality makes the program, said Principal Katie Baskin. “Our teachers at AHS do a fantastic job of teaching more than just the content at hand. They take the time and opportunity to teach those important
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acred vision Community, staff make Sacred Heart work
Story by Deb Nicklay | Photos by Eric Johnson
Austin Daily Herald
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Math Masters and makerspace. They are proud of Sacred Heart’s work on the new STEM In an era when many small parochial schools have had to close their doors, Sacred Heart (science, technology, engineering and math) curriculum for its elementary students. The Catholic School in Adams continues to thrive. school’s NWEA assessments for math, reading, language and science are well above the While student populations have dipped at times, the numbers at the school are rising in grade level norm. 2016, thanks to hard work and vision by clergy and staff, a strong tradition of faith-based All that is done while working education and a community that hard to keep the school in the cares about its school. black, whose funding must be Darlene Boe provides service covered by tuition and othas both principal and third-grade er donations. The challenge teacher at the school. Above her mounts as rural school populadesk is the petition: “Lord, take tions decline with fewer farms me to sit quietly at your feet, and and fewer farm children, Boe learn from you …” said. Boe and fellow instructors You might guess that the teach with a strong emphasis on common ingredient through all morals and values. of this is hard work — by staff, “Our staff works together, clergy and students. And while prays together,” she said. that is evident throughout the They combine that with workschool, there is more. ing hard to create a vision for The Adams community, she continual improvement of curricsaid, and its families, Catholic ulum — the school is accredited or not, continue to strongly in relationship with standards support the school in a variety set by the Minnesota Nonpublic of ways. School Accreditation Association, Second graders Olivia Koenigs and Will Thome work on an assignment with tablets in their classroom. Boe said 30 percent of the the Northwest Evaluation Associschool district’s students attend ation and the Diocese of Winona. their kindergarten through eighth-grade years at Sacred Heart. Schools within the diocese are currently working on a common curriculum — a strong “It has been that way for a long time and continues,” she said. move that promotes collaboration for best practices. Academics are enhanced with several programs, such as Vex robotics, LEGO League, Continues on Page 12
Austin Daily Herald
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Progress 2017
Sacred Hearth first-grade teacher and Principal Darlene Boe gets her class working on an assignment. OPPOSITE PAGE: Sacred Heart eighth-grader Karter Jax asks teacher Kelli Popenhagen a question on some homework. Boe is quick to note that it does not put the school and public schools at odds — in fact, she said, a solid, cooperative level has been the norm for many years. Southland School District helps provide joint sports for the younger ages as well as music, physical education instruction and special education services. “We have a very good relationship,” she said. Parents in the community also provide invaluable support, she said. “I think parents understand that we set high standards, we are faith-based and our staff is committed” to providing the best education, Boe said. The community and family support have resulted in upgrading the school for technological needs in recent years, and for other building renovation. Colette Zillgitt, the school’s bookkeeper, attended Sacred Heart and today is a parent who sends her own children to the school. “I think there was a time that if you were Catholic, any children you had were expected to attend Catholic schools as well,” she said. “Today, for many, it’s more a matter of choice. I wanted my children to have a Catholic education, the morals — and I wanted my children to have Jesus in the school at Christmas. I wanted our religion to be a part of it.” If she has any concerns, it is that the rural areas continue to be healthy. “I am confident that as long as we are healthy, we will have a community that supports the school,” she said.
Fundraisers have continued to be supported in major ways. The annual Winter Banquet and Auction, this year on Feb. 11, begun in the 1970s, raised over $90,000 in 2015. A fall marathon raises over $20,000. A new Catholic United Financial Raffle also helps raise funds, as does the school’s scrip program. “Sacred Heart Catholic School in Adams is successful and attracts many families in the area to educate their kids in the school for better education with holistic formation,” commented Father Swamintha Pothireddy in a statement he made before taking a sabbatical to India. “[and] … as a pastor of this cluster and the school, I can clearly say that the community support to the school is enormous and it is the main reason for the sustenance and success of the school.” “We are active in the community, people see us,” agreed Boe. “We’re in the nursing home singing; at farmer’s markets to raise money for missions. We pick up the cemetery. They take pride in the things that we do.” Staff does that with a strong allegiance to the Catholic mission of a faith-based environment. All-school prayer is said every school day, and children have the opportunity to attend Mass twice a week. By all accounts, the numbers are growing. While there was a dip in kindergarten numbers this year at nine children, they have almost doubled for the next year. The Sacred Heart School Board “works as a driving force,” said Pothireddy to keep the school’s vision a reality.
Austin Daily Herald
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Austin Daily Herald
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Progress 2017
School board president Tim Schneider, in a letter to Sacred Heart alumni, said school tradition is as much a motivator for him as its education. He said the list of his family members who have attended the school spanned four generations; his 86-year-old grandmother, he added, continues to volunteer at the school as a crossing guard. In a letter to alumni, he said “each generation plays an important role in the life of our school.” His 9-year-old daughter, Kailyn, sitting in Boe’s third-grade classroom, didn’t know much about the school’s long history, but she said she loved her school. “I really like math and I like to learn about religion,” she said. “And a lot of my friends come to school here.” P
Austin’s Own Story by Deb Nicklay | Photos by Eric Johnson
Excitement growing for new teacher prep program
Caitlin Haugland, left, and Haley Sabin are both part of the teacher prep program working out of Sumner Elementary.
Austin Daily Herald
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Years ago, Austin Superintendent Dave Krenz would receive a plentiful supply of applications when teaching positions opened. At that time, the most difficult thing was figuring out how to shear down the number to a manageable size for interviews. That’s not the case now. When the district advertised for a recent job opening at the elementary level, he received one application. He’s not alone. According to a recent study by the Learning Policy Institute, an education think tank, enrollment in teacher-preparation programs across the U.S. dropped from 691,000 in 2009 to 451,000 in 2014, a 35 percent decline. A number of variables have come together to create the shortage, both in attraction to the profession and attrition among mid-career professionals. Modest pay is one. A new generation of college students want to live in larger cities, leaving smaller communities, such as Austin, looking for new teachers. Krenz knew that a partnership approach was needed — whose goal was “to grow our own” teaching pool. And that was exactly what happened. This spring, 24 new elementary teachers are headed to be the first graduation class of a new teacher prep program that partners Austin High School, Riverland Community College and Winona State University in a unique fashion. Another 10 are in the program’s junior class. Krenz and staff invited Riverland and WSU to discuss a novel, new way of tackling the teacher shortage issue: Create an enhanced 2 + 2 elementary program tailored just for Austin. The program would offer two years of study for a student’s
TOP: Haley Sabin helps Sumner Elementary fourth-grader Levi Werner with a question during a project. BELOW: Caitlin Haugland talks to third-graders Darlynn Rodriguez, left, and Brieana Gonzalez during a class project.
associate degree at Riverland before transferring directly to WSU to complete a degree for a bachelor of science degree in teaching education. While that concept is nothing new — many community and four-year colleges have similar agreements — this innovation is unique. All of the classes, clinical experiences and other training are done almost exclusively in Austin. The last two years are filled with clinicals and in-classroom training — a training many college students do not get until the spring of their senior year. “I think, altogether, we’re supposed to have 160 hours of training in the classroom — but I know it’s even more than that,” said soon-to-be-a-graduate, Caitlin Haugland. “And we cannot believe how lucky we are to be part of this.” Fellow student teacher Haley Sabin agreed. “I love Austin,” she said. “I always wanted to be here. And hopefully, I will be hired here too.” The classroom is located at Sumner Elementary School under the on-site guidance of Principal Sheila Berger; students will also participate in external clinicals that take them to other schools in the district, so that by the time each graduate, they will be have worked with at least six or seven other instructors. By the end of this year, the program’s seniors together will have worked with 45 different Austin teachers over their coursework, according to Dr. Debra Mishak, assistant professor from WSU who is also the coordinator of the 2+2 program. She is one instructor, and Matthew Weyers, a teacher on special assignment from Byron Public Schools, is the other.
Krenz said all his reports are positive. “Our teachers seem to really enjoy working with these students and the students are enjoying the access they have to the classroom,” Krenz said. Many in the pool are non-traditional students, primarily from Austin, or nearby. Some are paraprofessionals who already work in the classroom setting; others are mid-career students who have chosen to switch to education. Mishak said she has one male student who had always wanted to go into education but, with six children, had to work at a better paying job in order to pay the bills. “But once his children were grown, his wife said, ‘Ok, it’s your turn,’” Mishak said. He wasn’t sure he was young enough, but Mishak knows his maturity, experience and willingness are all pluses that older students sometimes overlook. “And, as I told him, you’ve got 10, 15 years left to be in the classroom — of course we want you in our program,” Mishak said. Some were concerned that they could not handle the time commitment, she said. As non-traditional students, many have full time jobs. “So we work with them. We have a two- and three-year track [in the junior and senior years]; I said, if we need four years, we’ll do four,” she said. Flexibility is an important factor in the program to help the students succeed. “Finding the time for coursework can be tough,” she said. “But we find ways to make it work,” she added. Kelly McCalla, interim vice president of academic and student affairs at Riverland, says having three committed partners was a vital ingredient in the program’s formation. “We had to agree upon responsibility; who was responsible to make it happen,” he said. “The district had to say it was fine with people coming into the building,” and that is no small item, he added. “Security is a huge issue in schools, and letting our students come in takes a lot of trust” when you do not know the people. Riverland also agreed to have three of its faculty teach three junior year classes, even though they were not, by rights, students at Riverland since they would have already obtained their associate’s degree. “And the program had to be sustainable, that would still be in place 10 years from now,” McCalla said. Both groups — administrators and students — have learned a lot from the experience, Mishak said. Sabin, an Austin native and AHS graduate, is a senior in the program. She is just finishing her student teaching in fourth grade at Sumner Elementary School. Other teachers are placed in other Austin schools, or in nearby districts. “I was lucky; I love Sumner,” said Sabin, 24, adding that she also attended the school as a child. She said her experience has been as rewarding as she had hoped. She transitioned from student to student teacher with little or no angst. By the time she stepped into her fourth-
grade classroom, she had already had many hours in the classrooms already. She is also looking toward the mock interviews that were scheduled to begin in early February. The process gives them good experience, “and they (interview team) has a good exposure to us,” she said. Haugland, 20, added the process has not been intimidating. “College wasn’t this distant thing, just ‘out there,’” she said. “It’s in Austin where we went to [high] school. It felt comfortable.” She first thought she wanted to be a psychologist; then she was able to shadow instructor Lisa Deyo at Southgate Elementary while still in high school. “I knew immediately that it [teaching] was my calling,” Haugland said. They admitted that their first time in front of a class was, as Haugland said, “scary.” “Scary but fun,” stressed Sabin as they both laughed. “I remember saying, ‘After this, we can do anything,’” Haugland added. Both said they enjoyed the many opportunities to be “hands on” and the less expensive cost, since they could live at home. Both urged others to consider the program. “I would tell people, ‘go for it.’ The nice thing is that if you find you don’t like it, you can drop out during the first semester — and you haven’t spent a lot of time and money,” Haugland said. But both said that the program is solid and they have learned much more than they anticipated. While they know about policies, lesson plans and first days, they also know about finding patience when working with children, said Sabin. And Haugland said she discovered “that you have to know your students as individuals; where they come from, what they think. Teaching is about building relationships with the kids.” Both said they cannot wait for graduation. Both hope to stay in Austin, if they can. “I’m so ready for my own classroom,” said Haugland. “I mean, so ready.” Sabin agreed. “We are definitely ready.” P
“College wasn’t this distant thing, just ‘out there,’” she said. “It’s in Austin where we went to [high] school. It felt comfor table.” —Caitlin Haugland
Austin Daily Herald
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Progress 2017
Haugland and Sabin, at work in their respect classrooms, are ready to take that next step into a classroom of their own.
Omes res Latino All things Latin Latin teacher George Pulchinski is surrounded by fourth-grade students learning the language.
Pacelli class helps put emphasis on classical education No, that’s exhausting and we don’t have the resources for that. So — should we specialize? Our task force included community leaders — some whose children did not even attend Pacelli — and some alumni, too. They all felt we should return to a classieorge Pulchinski couldn’t help himself — once cal education — and so, we’re specializing,” said Pacelli principal Laura Marreel. Sister Caedmon of Winona Cotter High School Pacelli trustees, in turn, instructed its school board and staff to develop a strategic plan that included an emphasis on classical education. began lessons in Latin, he was hooked. President Jean McDermott calls classical education a way to strengthen “higher-order thinking skills that encourage deeper learning … and not just rote memori“I knew when I was a junior that I wanted to teach Latin too,” he said. zation.” And, that is a good thing for Pacelli Catholic Schools. Pulchinski, who taught Latin Classical education, she added, asks as much as it answers. “Why did the great for years in high schools in Rochester and at Pacelli, opted to come out of retirement teachers teach this way? How do you teach your students to be decision-makers? It’s to take to the classroom again. a more thoughtful approach,” McPacelli — staff and students alike Dermott said. — know that his enthusiasm transThat’s true, even at the elementalates to his students too. ry level, where Singapore math was “He’s fun,” confided one of his incorporated into the curriculum, students, seventh-grader Sam King, that focuses on analytical and rea13. soning skills. For Pulchinski, you could say: Course offerings at the upper levOmnes res Latino — or, “all things el, in addition to Latin, now include Latin” — are a labor of love. philosophy, logic and theology. Walking into his classroom, you The school has also beefed up its see signs — Latin signs — everymusic program and returned an art where. program back to the schedule after “Pax vobiscum” or “Peace be a few years’ absence, said Marreel. with you” is just one. The sign of the Others will be added as a cycle of cross — “In nomine Patris et Filii et offerings is formed — Pulchinski’s Spiritus Sancti" — is another. wife, Linda, for instance, will be He hopes his own love of the teaching a humanities course under language can be carried to a new the post-secondary enrollment opgeneration of students who, if they tion program that allows juniors and were attending other schools, may seniors to take college-level courses. not have the opportunity to learn it. She is an instructor at Riverland and The teaching of Latin, which ocwill teach the course at Pacelli. curs in every grade at Pacelli, is just The inclusion of such courses one part in a re-emphasis on what aligns itself in a larger drive underpeople have called a classical edutaken by the school. For the past cation. three years, Pacelli, in collabora“Some have said, it’s really just a Daran Plunkett takes notes during George Pulchinski’s Latin class at Pacelli. tion with other Diocese of Winona return to education,” emphasized schools, have been part of the University of Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic EdPulchinski. ucation (ACE) to develop a common, aligned curriculum for all subject areas. ACE is There was a time when the teaching of Latin was strongly embedded in a classical a professional development program that strengthens curriculum, instruction and education. In its purest form, a classical curriculum would emphasize grammar, logic assessment in Catholic schools by increasing collaboration among teachers. This reand rhetoric at the elementary level — teaching students how to learn — and math, focusing on best practices aligns well with the classical model. geometry, music and astronomy at the secondary level, or rather, a deeper entry inMareel said the school is extremely fortunate to have teachers such as Pulchinski, to how to think about the world. whose Latin instructional skills are rare to find. The emphasis on liberal arts, the thinking goes, exercises both sides of the brain Latin is taught throughout the K-12 grade levels, although formal curricular in— the logical and creative — that results in the best expansion of intellect. struction begins at older ages. On one recent day, Pulchinski could be found going A task force a while back “spent three, really intense nights analyzing what is necthrough vocabulary words with fourth-graders. essary in teaching our Pacelli children — do we try to be everything to everybody? Story by Deb Nicklay | Photos by Eric Johnson
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Austin Daily Herald
16 Progress 2017
George Pulchinski leads a class on Latin at Pacelli Catholic Schools.
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Progress 2017
words and phrases. His elementary students are particularly happy to work at Latin flash cards. At Christmas, the children even sang some holiday songs and created Christmas cards in Latin. He clearly loves the language as much for what it is as what it can lead to. “Latin skills are used in the legal and medical professions,” he said. But, he added, it also adds to the study of history and the cultures it encompasses. Latin is at the base of Roman history and mythology. Its most important role is played in its logic and as a base for other languages; the study of Shakespeare is illuminated by an understanding of the language and his own Latin-based education. The arts and religion are also heavily grounded in Latin. “We sometimes water everything down” and lose context of the finer points of knowledge, in education, he mused. “I think sometimes we need to return to the basics,” he said. Or, in Pulchinski’s favorite language: “fundamenta rediret.” P
Austin Daily Herald
The students, at all ages, seemed to have embraced the language — the only one taught at Pacelli. Puchinski was writing vocabulary words on the board to demonstrate how those words served as a base for others — such words as “collum,” which refers to “neck," and "cor,” which means "heart." "Your heart is at the core of your body, right?" he said. Students fondly call him "Mr. P," said Rory Bickler, 14, a ninth-grader who is this year taking Latin II. "It's getting harder," she said of the second-year class, compared to the first. "But it's really helped me with my language arts and helpful with my music too. Tempo phrases are based in Latin." She added that she sees the language as help in her future career, which will in some way be in the sciences. While Pulchinski spent most of his life teaching high school students, he has been pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm of younger students, too, when learning new
A place for us Austin-Albert Lea Special Education Cooperative gets off to a strong start Story by Deb Nicklay | Photos by Eric Johnson PICTURED ABOVE: Both students from Austin and Albert Lea have been happy to take up classes in the new Austin-Albert Lea Special Education Cooperative. PICTURED BELOW: Cooperative Director Heidi Venem talks about the doors throughout the building, many of them with keypads to let people in that can help prevent students from wandering.
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lmost immediately after children moved into the Austin-Albert Lea Area Special Education Cooperative, Executive Director Heidi Venem noticed something rather wonderful. A few of the children, with the most severe of needs and who can be uncommunicative or combative, “made significant progress since coming into our building. They think of it as ‘our school, our place,’” she said. That first day found the children talking excitedly about “a place just for us,” said Venem. “Their eyes were like saucers. Some were glued to the windows — we did not have windows before.” Many people and agencies have worked to make sure the newly-renovated, $3.8 million cooperative was, indeed, the right place for kids with the most special of needs. The cooperative,
whose building is called the Oakland Education Center, opened in January to serve 48 children from schools in Albert Lea and Austin. There are eight teachers, six mental health professionals and 12 paraprofessionals in the building. Students have two hours of social skills instruction and the rest of the day is focused on study. About three-quarters of the kids are from Austin, and the other fourth, from Albert Lea. One hallway is dedicated to children diagnosed with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) while Students with Unique Needs (SUN) are housed in another wing. Unusual for this kind of center isn’t that it is a separate facility from the schools, but that its mental health services are offered on-site. Each classroom has a teacher, a mental health interventionist and a paraeductor. Students who would otherwise need to see a mental
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health professional in the past would have had to attend an institution, such as Gerard, for the services. “School districts are required to offer a full continuum of services, so most districts, except very small districts, have access to some type of separate site school,” explained Sherri Willrodt, head of special education services for the Austin district. “What makes our site unique is the access to the significant level of mental health services.” Less trips taken outside the building, said Venem, brings fewer distractions for kids who can easily find themselves off-task. Providing an educational setting for the student who does not need to leave for other services makes a big, big difference in a child’s life. Fewer distractions also mean fewer disruptions and emotional melt-downs, Venem said, that can also affect other children. Their building — previously known as the Corcoran Center — was once a Catholic school for St. Edward’s Catholic Church and, then later, a daycare. The board unanimously voted on Dec. 14, 2015, to partner with Albert Lea after a partnership with four other school districts fell through earlier that year. The plan was to form the new cooperative with Albert Lea Public Schools — the Austin Albert Lea Area Special Education Cooperative — to provide specialized services and programs for the students. The building was purchased in 2016 and construction began almost immediately with Wagner Construction of Austin. The building was readied for opening under the careful eye of Mat Miller, director of facilities for the school district. During the first part of the school year, students were housed at the Annex across from Austin High School, or in part of Neveln Elementary School. But by the second semester, the kids were in their new facility. With lots of input from administration and staff, a new facility geared uniquely toward the needs of the students took shape. Venem said the spaces are larger and designed specifically for students with special needs. Doors lock when they are closed and students cannot leave or enter without knowing
PICTURED ABOVE: Classrooms are small, allowing for teachers to help students with individual needs.
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PICTURED LEFT: Classrooms feature amenities such as whiteboards and TV’s to help with instruction.
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a keyed number. The security is essential in the school and prevents the occasional student from wandering away. Furniture is geared toward calming students, too, from small chairs that rock — a quiet way to keep a child composed — to high desks, that allow a student to stand if needed. Some rooms have quiet areas, while others have rooms that are like mini-classrooms, intended to allow a child to have alone time but still is able to study. One bathroom has a shower, too, for children who need one. The district invested in Big Hugs, a body-length piece of equipment that calms the person wearing it. “I would say the individualized learning spaces, access to advanced technology, and access to life skills areas — the cooking and laundry facilities, gymnasiums, sensory room — are some of the most impressive features,” agreed Willrodt. “We feel very fortunate to have this excellent space to offer services to meet the unique needs of our students.” Venem said it is a building that has come into its time. “We know so much more now, today, than we once did; we have a better understanding of services kids need and we are able to provide them,” she said. Venem, who lives in Albert Lea and served as a teacher in the Albert Lea system before coming to the center. She comes to the center “because of the challenge that some present, and that challenge of getting them the services they need,” she said. “I’ve always had a passion for these students.” The net of services might be thrown wider in the future. Venem is already fielding calls from other school districts, inquiring about possible placements. But for right now, she said, she will wait until students settle in and all staff is in place. “The first thing we want to do is make sure that all Albert Lea and Austin students are served,” she said, adding some staff positions had yet to be filled. In the future, there may be openings to be filled; it was anticipated that 90 students could be accommodated. P
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The Austin FFA chapter is made up of back row, from left: Emily Billings, Emily Bollum, Codie Wolfe, Joshua Bollum, Adrianna Meiergerd, Kali Meiergerd and Maia Irvin. Front row: Evan Meiergerd, Kristine Schechinger, Michael Carroll, Faith Sayles and Morgan Schubert.
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FFA: Austin High’s expanding program
of the two that were once in place — and began to attract students who weren’t necessarily the traditional “farm kids.” While there are plenty of opportunities for kids growing up on the farm, there is equal emphasis on areas that aren’t necessarily about raising cattle or crop science. Areas such as wildlife management, landscaping, food science and horticulture are all areas relevant to all populations for study or future careers. There are students who also take agriculture classes who aren’t necessarily part of FFA, but FFAers do take ag courses as part of the regular curriculum. Yarger said the classes were diverse, but usually had a significant science aspect to it. The curriculum has also been updated for a higher level of technology and has introduced new ones.
Michael Carroll, 16, who is in his third year of FFA and treasurer of the chapter, comes from the farm. He is a strong believer in the program and the skills it offers — for farm and non-farm students alike. “Speaking in front of groups, running a meeting — those things aren’t necessarily farm-related, but they are part of FFA,” he said. Kristine Scheckinger, 16, agreed. The chapter vice president also likes the traditional aspect of being part of something that her family has been a part of. Many of the FFA members also belong to 4-H. Scheckinger also likes the hands-on nature of much of the ag curriculum and the labs that are conducted to keep student interest lively. Yarger said small animal care is one of busier semester courses that has attracted
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The Austin FFA chapter holds a meeting in Linnay Yarger’s room at Austin High School.
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The re-emergence of Austin High School’s FFA program is a prime example in how vision, support and the work of an adviser and teacher can make a difference. The adviser would be Linnay Yarger, who in the past five years has taken the longtime ag program from near-death to healthy numbers and state contests. But she will be the first one to say she has had plenty of support, from Austin FFA Alumni and school staff, to her advisory board and instrumental help provided by The Hormel Foundation. The Foundation’s help provided financial support that allowed Austin High School to revive its ag curriculum and ignite its FFA program Switch to 2009, when “the program was pretty much non-existent” with a handful of members, said Yarger. Switch to today, when the program has 27 or so active members and a whole bunch of contest placings and wins. Yarger, 30, in her fifth year as ag teacher and adviser, proved to be a key pick. The University of Minnesota graduate from New Ulm cut her instructional teeth for three years at Worthington High School. When she was hired to take over the Austin ag program and FFA group, she knew she had a challenge ahead of her, but that aforementioned support set the stage for success. “We had to make it a sustainable program, and with the help from the The Hormel Foundation, that was able to happen,” she said. “I knew it would be hard at first; I knew I had to get kids involved. It wasn’t going to be an instant ‘go.’ ” Yarger got busy on all fronts, emphasizing the diversity of the ag programming — there are eight courses today instead
both farm and non-farm students. “Almost every family has a pet,” said Yarger. “So it’s popular.” The success has come in many ways, including awards. The group has also done well in contests, especially the general livestock team. In 2016-17, the livestock judging team took first in regions. In 2015-16, they took third at regions and then a second at state. The team also took a first place in the Spring Barrow Show general livestock judging on Feb. 3 of this year. They were sixth at state in livestock judging in 2014-15, and sixth in farm business management in 2015-16. The team also received an invitation to judge livestock at the 2017 Western National Roundup during the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado, just this past January and placed 14th at the national contest. Yarger said she has found positive reaction to the changes in the program and the expansion of FFA, from staff and the community. One of her biggest supporters is AHS Principal Katie Baskin. “Linnay has an extensive background in FFA and has worked hard to enhance her skills, education, and community connections to grow our agriculture courses and FFA program,” said Baskin. “We have seen steady growth over the last five years,” she added. “Linnay has worked hard to offer courses that all students in our building can take. They certainly are not limited to our FFA students. I had the opportunity to attend the National FFA convention a couple years ago — FFA is definitely for all kids. The leadership and public speaking skills are a key focus and beneficial for all of our students.” P
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Story by Deb Nicklay | Photos by Eric Johnson
Dr. Adenuga Atewologun’s personal interest in agriculture has helped shape his vision for Riverland Community College.
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iverland Community College’s president Dr. Adenuga Atewologun always thought that his career lay in designing and engineering farm structures, such as those used in feed storage and operations.
Engineering a future
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to Ife as an engineer in the area of food and agriculture,” and working in the company, he said. “But life turns, you know?” he said with a chuckle. But sustaining an income in the midst of study — and supporting a family — became increasingly difficult. While finishing his dissertation, he took an adjunct position at the college to teach statics, technical graphics and land surveying. While his work in design gave way to a bigSurprisingly, he said, “I was having fun — a ger love — that of educating young minds different kind of fun.” — his interest in agriculture, combined with He was energized by the students. He apa career that took him to the fertile fields of plied to be a full-time instructor at a commusoutheastern Minnesota, helped fuel a new nity college and he found himself hooked on vision for Riverland students. the classroom. “When I came to this agricultural area, I Story by Deb Nicklay | Photo by Eric Johnson One valuable lesson he learned was the thought it was wonderful,” mused Atewolodifference between the traditionally young gun, reflecting on his journey. “This area of student, fresh out of high school, and the non-traditional student, who may be entering Minnesota — and Wisconsin, Iowa — I immediately thought, ‘Why don’t we have a proclasses for the first time, or is changing a career. He found that “college readiness” was far gram in ag science?’” different between the two groups. “In terms of agronomy, technology, I didn’t see any of these things here [at Riverland],” The experience taught him several things, but among the most important, he said, was he added. “that in America, [these type of students] can have second or third chances to change Those first impressions provided a key step in what has grown into an enhanced jourtheir lives, tremendously. I wanted to contribute to those students.” ney. Riverland’s ag curriculum has been remolded to include ag sciences, food science His plans for the future — and a return to Africa — had profoundly changed. From then technology, biotechnology, precision ag and agribusiness; its farm business management on, he followed a path to teaching, and then, administration. A series of positions offered program is one of the college’s most popular programs, Atewologun said. — from instructor to department head, assistant dean to dean — kept him in Illinois; and But the best may be yet to come. then in 2008, he served as an American Council on Education Fellow at Bellevue College Today, Riverland is working toward establishing, in partnership with The Hormel in Washington state. In 2009, he returned to Illinois to take up positions of vice president, Foundation and the Southeastern Minnesota Center for Agriculture and Food Science academic affairs and dean of faculty at Prairie State College in Chicago Heights until 2013, Innovation, a global center with state-of-the-art instruction and study in the areas of food when he came to Minnesota as the head of Riverland. science, farming and bioenergy. The center would not only be a place for students to In his first year as president, Atewologun and staff identified agriculture as a top priority learn, but where a partnership of professionals, working farmers and others would work with its “Blueprint for Excellence,” which outlined Riverland as the hub for ag instruction together to address challenges in the agriculture industry. in the region. Atewologun has always held a love of both agriculture and its engineering component. Atewologun recognized immediately that progress toward a center of ag excellence He earned his undergraduate degree in ag engineering in his home country of Nigeria, at would come with partners and Austin had one of the best: The Hormel Foundation. Just the University of Ife. a year after he arrived, the first Ag Summit, held in conjunction with the Foundation and “I was bent on research,” he recalled, adding he traveled to the U.S. because some of held at The Hormel Institute, brought together producers, business and educators to disthe best graduate schools were in the U.S. He ended up entering his master’s program at cuss and learn about agricultural ventures and challenges. the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign. He stayed seven years, finishing his doctorSubsequent summits have been held each year since. The summits, which focus on a ate program whose focus was on how to improve the formula for tall grain bin structures. theme each year, bring together producers, business and educators to discuss and learn While that may sound relatively simple, it is complex: the taller and larger the bins, the about possible agricultural ventures. more challenges there are in its construction that relates to moisture content and safety of In 2015, The Hormel Foundation announced a $263,200 grant to Riverland to help its walls when loading and unloading. launch the Center for Agriculture and Food Science, an agriculture technology “center of After he received his doctorate, his plan was to work in the U.S. for two years and then excellence” at the college in Austin that helped provide another partnership — this time return to Africa. Before he came to the U.S., he had formed a company with friends that with both Minnesota State University at Mankato, and Southwest Minnesota State Univerwould focus on the manufacture of livestock feed. sity, to provide four-year agricultural degrees. Mankato would be the partner in the food “The plan was to work on my post-doctorate, get more experience … and then return
President’s interest in ag helps shape vision for Riverland
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science technology, biotechnology and agricultural science programs, while Southwest would provide the last two years of programming for agronomy and ag teacher education. In November, Riverland signed on as a partner of the Southern Minnesota Center of Agriculture, a collaborative group of regional higher education institutions with related ag programs. The center, which focuses on connecting students with resources and programs of academic institutions, also works to establish partnerships with key businesses and organizations in the industry to meet the demands of manpower. Others that have joined the center are Minnesota West, Southwest Minnesota State University and South Central College in Faribault and North Mankato, the lead institution for the center. The next step may be the most daunting: the creation of the global center itself, which includes an estimated $11.5 million capital project, a venture that will bring one of Riverland’s most important partnerships — the state of Minnesota — into the plan. Much will depend on inclusion of a portion in the state’s bonding bill, whose outcome remains to be known. But funding is not the biggest challenge; the first, and perhaps the most difficult, is attracting a younger generation to the agriculture sector. “So many think of agriculture as just production, hard labor, dirty,” he said. “But it is the soil scientist, the seed scientist, the financier, food science, the engineer … managing our environment, all these jobs are related to the agriculture industry. Look here in Austin, Hormel Foods, a Fortune 500 company! And yet, convincing our younger generation of the needs in ag science, I think this is our first challenge and, I think, the most difficult.” Another is attracting “teachers who are passionate, who can inspire” the students. Riverland is very fortunate, he added, with its agriculture instructor, Willie Mekeel, “who is wonderful” for the program. Finding the needed finances, he added, is next — but not by any means, the most important. Because, if Atewologun knows anything, it is that life is filled with the stuff of new beginnings and unexpected turns. And, he added, “if the idea is marvelous and innovative, you will attract funds to get the job done, of that I am convinced.” P
A roadmap for water quality As CRWD turns 10, it’s moving forward with a purpose Story by Jason Schoonover Justin Hanson remembers when the Cedar River Watershed District was forming 10 years ago and staff didn’t know how they were going to achieve their goals. “We were looking around the room like, if we had all the money in the world to do a project today, what would be our first project?” Hanson, the CRWD’s Administrator, recalls. “We didn’t actually know what was most effective.” Fast forward through a decade of work, meetings, rules, goals, projects and lessons, and today the district is equipped with tools and knowledge to meet the goals of improving water quality and reducing flood waters going through Austin by 20 percent. “It took us 10 years to get here, I suppose, but we’re in a better spot,” Hanson said. “I don’t know if there’s very many agricultural watersheds that have the tools for targeting and know where their projects are going to go or need to go like we are.” Those goals felt big at first. “At the time, we thought, ‘How are we ever going to get 20 percent flow reduction through all of these?’” Hanson said. “And yet, we started putting a few projects together, and if we can get guys to come along and if we can get out funding to line up, we can put a pretty good dent in that number.”
Early days
The CRWD was born out of the record 2004 flood, which Hanson, recalls as a devastating event. “It just seemed like that was the straw that broke the camel’s back a little bit,” Hanson said. “Everybody in the watershed said, ‘OK, what are we going to do about this?’ ” The community looked to the Mower County Soil and Conservations District to address this issue, but that wasn’t what the SWCD was formed to address at the time. The idea of forming a new watershed district was not met with instant acceptance.
Cedar River Watershed District through the years May 2007: First organization meeting of the Cedar River Watershed District. February 2008: CRWD receives its first water-monitoring grant. October 2010: Local version of Adopt-ARiver program launched by CRWD for Cedar River. December 2010: CRWD awarded Clean Water Legacy grant funds for Dobbins Creek. December 2010: Minnesota Association of Watershed Districts names CRWD’s Justin Hanson as Outstanding Watershed District Employee. June 2011: CRWD leads effort with state Sen. Dan Sparks and Rep. Jeanne Poppe to designate the Cedar River as a new state water trail under Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. July 2011: CRWD approves rules for watershed district effective December 2011. December 2011: Clean Water Fund grant approved for Cedar River. December 2012: Minnesota Association of Watershed Districts names CRWD as Watershed District of the Year. CRWD Board Manager Chairman Steve Kraushaar remembers going to an early public meeting where several concerns were voiced, most of which pertained to the unknowns surrounding the CRWD’s formation. Many questions faced CRWD leaders, like: Did the public want the CRWD to get involved with tile, drainage, ditches road culverts and other such issues? “It was hard to have a discussion about the issues and gain information while this watershed district was getting formed,” Hanson said. “It just feeds more of the unknown, you know. It was a little bit of a process getting through the initial stages because we didn’t know all the answers either.” A lot discussion went into how to address the problem, and people were concerned about creating a cumbersome layer of government. They discussed a joint powers board and other options, but in the end the CRWD was formed because a watershed district has the ability to levy funds, and could fund larger, more significant projects. “It wasn’t just about being able to levy,”
The Cedar River Watershed District’s Justin Hanson and Steve Kraushaar look back on 10 years of its conservation efforts. Photo by Eric Johnson
January 2014: CRWD finishes its first major flood-reduction project. March 2014: CRWD receives a major state grand for water quality focused on Dobbins Creek. August 2014: Adopt-A-River initiative tops 1,100 tires removed from the Cedar River. August 2015: The Hormel Foundation approves a $3.2 million grant as part of a nearly $8.4 million Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) created by CRWD to build 25 projects over five years along the Cedar River and Dobbins Creek for water quality and flood reduction. November 2015: Bev Nordby retires as CRWD administrator, and Justin Hanson takes over. May 2016: CRWD sponsors first-time art gallery focused on Cedar River Watershed scenes submitted by artists at Austin ArtWorks Center. August 2016: State approves grant for twoyear Cedar River One Watershed, One Plan project to create watershed-based plan for water management. Kraushaar said. “It was a group that is focused on water only.”
Getting started
Once the CRWD formed, Kraushaar and others knew it would be a gradual process. “There would be no one grand project,” Kraushaar said. “It would be hundreds of little things, and that was going to require a lot of cooperation from landowners.” They spent two years working on their 10-year plan and went into a rules process for a few years Because the plan will take many projects over many years, they’re working with voluntary programs. “Our goals are going to come through projects and voluntary practices, so we’re kind of in this for the long haul with that approach,” he said. A few key things happened. It was decided that the Mower SWCD would manage the CRWD, something Hanson credited to his predecessor, Bev Nordby. And around that time, the SWCD was finishing a significant project and a committee
looked into the issues early on and found that upland storage and retention on a part of the Cedar River and found land treatment in the watershed could have a positive effect. Both laid the groundwork for upland storage to address the issues. “We knew that we could address it through land treatment,” Hanson said. Hanson found it encouraging to see data backing them in saying that say they’d be able to make significant reductions to water flows — and it wasn’t going to take 100 years. Hanson also recalled Mower County voters supporting the Minnesota Land & Legacy Amendment, which Hanson said gave them a signal that the community wanted this and was concerned about water quality.
Knowledge is power
Over time, the district built up its plan and its knowledge base. The concept was simple: Flow reductions and water quality work hand in hand, Kraushaar noted, so by slowing flood flows would introduce and leave fewer sediments in the floodplain during high water events. “We think that if we slow the water down, we can get multiple benefits,” Hanson said. Hanson used a hose to describe the efforts: Open it in a normal way and the water will just flow out; put your thumb over it and you can use the hard water flow to wash off a sidewalk or your car. “That pressure, you know, pushes that dirt off the sidewalk,” Hanson said. “It works the same way in the landscape. When they water’s throttling through, it’s getting there faster, it’s more flood damage, but also it’s picking up everything it takes with it through the system.” They’ve done studies and sought grants to highlight project areas and hot spots to address. But perhaps the biggest is the hydrologic and hydrology model — or H & H model — which maps how water events will affect the waterway and how changes to the system will affect the system. To Kraushaar, it was key to know how the water moves through the area to start targeting areas for projects.
Plans into action
Today, the CRWD continues pushing forward on a major part of meeting its goals: its
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A look down a peaceful Cedar River under clear skies. Herald file photo
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But the biggest strategy for the CRWD, according to Hanson, is building relationships. The district continues pushing projects featuring land retention. With all participation being voluntary based, Hanson said watershed leaders can’t afford to complete projects in a way that aren’t mutually beneficial to the landowner and the district. He credited Project Manager Cody Fox for his work and investing his time to build trust with landowners.
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Looking ahead
“Strategy numbers one, two and three is relationships,” Hanson said. “He’s just an outstanding asset for the office,” Hanson said. Hanson praised the watershed district community and the ag producers for being a notch ahead and being receptive to the ideas the district is promoting. “Knowing that you have partners is a big deal,” Hanson said. “Ten years ago, we didn’t know if we were going to have partners. We had, you know, landowners that were maybe more worried about what we were going to do to them rather than what we’re going to accomplish with them. I like the state of where the watershed’s at right now.” Hanson credited all the board members for serving on the board, noting they give up family time to give back to the community and sometimes sit in meetings where unhappy residents are discussing issues. Likewise, Kraushaar credited the staff for being good to work with it and for making the process fun. He notes they all care about clean water, and that’s something that’s going to take many, many years. “It’s just a long road that the staff and the board have looked at carefully,”Kraushaar said. “There’ll be issues long after I’m gone and Justin’s retired and you’re gone too. Hopefully we’re on this long road, this mission.” Hanson said he’s energized by the people he works with, along with the buy-in they’ve gotten from the community and agricultural landowners. The sense of stewardship, Hanson said, keeps growing and will live on. In their first 10 years, Hanson and Kraushaar say they’ve gotten much closer to that goal. “I’d say the state is pretty good,” Hanson said. “We have our goals in place, we know where we’re going and how we’re going to get there, we have some funding things lined up, we have good projects lined up.” “We have a roadmap to get toward our goals,” he added. “Ten years ago, we didn’t know where we were going to go or necessarily how we were going to get there.” P
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Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), a nearly $8 million, five-year project to implement a top-25 priority list created in 2015 of project sites within the watershed. The watershed received a $3 million donation from The Hormel Foundation and was challenged to match the funds and requested $1.6 million in the 2016 bonding bill; however, that year’s session ended with bonding bill failing amidst controversy. For the CRWD, the challenge remains securing bonding and grant dollars and not strictly putting the burden on the local taxpayers. “We’re trying to leverage as much outside funding as we can, and that’s typically going to come through the state,” Hanson said. Despite the lack of bonding dollars to date on the CIP, the district has kept projects going with some Land & Legacy funding. “We do have projects in the works, and we have money to get that kicked off,” Hanson said. In 2016, the CRWD board instituted a $100,000 a year project levy for the first time, and Hanson noted they’ve completed several projects before instituting a project levy to secure local taxpayer funds for projects. Still, the CRWD is still in the mix to get bonding dollars should they pass in 2017, and the district is at times able to get bonding fund dollars that are sometimes left unspent, as Hanson praised the city of Austin for its ability to secure such dollars in the past. “We’re got projects going; we’re on the right track,” he said.
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Back under the lights
After one-year break, LeRoy-Ostrander brings varsity football back Story by Rocky Hulne | Photos by Eric Johnson High school football was once the main event on autumn Friday nights for LeRoy-Ostrander. The team was the talk of the town and its victories were a community-wide celebration. After taking a year off from varsity football, the LeRoy-Ostrander Cardinals are hoping to restore their place in the community’s eye, and the program took a major step last fall. LO didn’t field a varsity team in 2015 due to a lack of upper classmen and after winning three JV games that season, the Cardinals returned to varsity action in 2016, when the team picked up two wins. Kevin Janssen, who graduated from LeRoy-Ostrander High School in 1988, played football for the Cardinals and he’s had two of his sons play for the Cards, including one who was a freshman on the 2016 team. Janssen said the football program is starting to regain traction in town after it brought back a varsity team this year. “It was nice to be able to give the community a place to go on Friday nights,” he said. “When I was growing up that's what this town did on Friday nights. People would go downtown after the game and we’d watch highlights of the game. We're not quite there yet, but we're getting back to it. I think it pulls a community together when you have that success. Everybody knows each other. You not only want to watch your kids play, but you want to see your friend’s kid do well. It's about community pride.” No that long ago, the Cardinals were on top of the football world in southeast Minnesota. LO earned a trip to the state tournament in 2004 and lost 27-21 in the semifinals to eventual state nine-man champion, Stephen Argyle. Neal Bucknell, the quarterback on that team, recalls 2004 being a great time for Cardinal football. “They were all good memories. It was fun,” Bucknell said. “We all still hang out when we get a chance. We had a lot of good players on that team and we had a great coaching staff.” Bucknell remembers the community rallying behind the team, especially when playing Grand Meadow. He admits that he was a bit shocked when LO had to sit out a varsity season in 2015, but he feels the program is starting to make a comeback. “There’s some decent athletes on the team, they just need some experience,” Bucknell said. “Hopefully they’re headed in the right direction.” LO head coach Aaron Hungerholt said the current LO students are aware of what the 2004 team did, whether it be through family members or the plaque that sits in LO high school. “I think they understand the tradition, but they also understand that
Volunteers get the concession stand ready before the start of LeRoy-Ostrander’s opening home game against West Lutheran this past season. they have an opportunity to make their own history,” Hungerholt said. “Our program was at the top at one point, it was at the bottom at one point, and they have an opportunity to bring it back to where it needs to be.” After the Cardinals went to state, the team had a slow decline. Hungerholt was LO’s fourth coach in four years after the team went to state. He actually took the head coaching job when the previous coach resigned a few days before the season. Hungerholt was expecting to spend a year or two with the program, but he eventually became fully invested as he started an elementary program. Those players that began in he elementary program are now juniors and seniors for the Cardinals. “I don’t know who really wanted to take over the program when it was at the bottom,” Hungerholt said.
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Quarterback Trey Hungerholt warms up with the Cardinals before their 2016 home opener.
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LeRoy-Ostrander’s Jackson Hockens cuts back on a first-quarter run against West Lutheran In LeRoyOstrander’s 2016 home opener.
“Our program was at the top at one point, it was at the bottom at one point, and they have an opportunity to bring it back to where it needs to be.” — Aaron Hungerholt, coach LeRoy football timeline
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2004: Cardinal football team makes it to state 2004-2008: Cardinals go through four different coaches 2014: Cardinals don’t field a varsity football team 2015: Cardinals bring back varsity football and win two games.
Zach Hanson runs out onto the field for the start of LeRoy-Ostrander’s first game of the 2016 season. “There wasn’t a lot of people knocking on the door to be the head football coach when you’re winning one game a year. It was a pretty slow increase, but we went from one win, two wins to three wins. I thought we were going in the right direction and then we kind of ran into a numbers game for a year or two.” Those numbers inevitably led to the Cards to taking Friday nights off last year and sticking to a JV schedule. But once the team came back this year, the community began to pay attention. Hungerholt said he had people he didn’t know coming up to him and asking him about the football team, and that was the first time that happened since he took over as head coach in 2008. Some local businesses also looked to help out the team. Hungerholt’s son Trey, who is a sophomore quarterback for the Cards, said the team has also noticed the support. “Everybody was ready for the first home game. It was an awesome experience,” Trey said. “The program is growing and people are realizing that we’re getting better. There’s more people at the games. We have a lot of chemistry. We’re friends and we’ve been playing together since were in fifth and sixth grade. If any year is it, this could be the year.” The LeRoy-Ostrander Cardinals come together after LO’s road to improvement on the starting lineups. the field will be a tough one as the team plays in the same district as four-time defending state champ Grand Meadow, along with perennial powers Spring Grove, Mabel-Canton and Lanesboro. Hungerholt said his team will have to stay in the weight room and continue working hard if it wants to take the next step next fall. “I think we’re headed in the right direction,’’ he said. “Next year we’re going to be heavy with seniors and juniors. We’ll finally have older kids playing and we won’t need to play
freshmen. We be looking to Riley Olson, Carter Johnson, Tanner Kasel and Dakota Stoopes to take that next step for us. We’re also going to try and have a JV team again.” Hungerholt has already coached the Cardinals for much longer than he expected when he took the job, but he’s stayed at the helm because he wants to push the program to a positive place in the community. Hungerholt said there’s nothing quite like a Friday night under the lights when the town is out to support the team. “To me Friday night high school football has always been a special night,” he said. “It’s an opportunity for the community to come out and support the school and the kids. I think there was a lot of excitement and a lot of anticipation.” P
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The scoreboard ticks down to game time between the LeRoy-Ostrander Cardinals and the West Lutheran Warriors this past season.
Established
Excellance Superlarks have made a lot of noise on the nine-man football scene Story by Rocky Hulne | Photos by Eric Johnson
Story begins on Page 36
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Grand Meadow’s Blake Benson hauls in a 37-yard reception against Cleveland-Immanuel Lutheran in the first quarter of the Minnesota State Nine Man Prep Bowl last year at U.S. Bank Stadium.
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he Grand Meadow football team reached a new level of excellence over the past five years. After having never won a state title, the Superlarks have played in five straight Minnesota nine-man football state title games and they’ve won the last four titles. While many things fell into place for GM to put together such a dominant run, the Superlarks were able to stay competitive by remaining driven and putting in time in the weight room in the offseason. “Our lifting program is a major factor,” GM head coach Gary Sloan said. “I also think that when we play a lot of kids in one-sided games when they are freshmen and sophomores they are more prepared when they get to be juniors and seniors.” Sloan also credited the coaching staff with teaching kids proper techniques and developing strong game plans. The Superlarks are currently on a 50-game winning streak and have lost just three games over the past five years. The team has shown an incredible amount of discipline to stay focused during that winning streak and the team has taken on the mantra of the next game on the schedule always being the most important game of the season. “I believe that after seeing how satisfying winning the first [state title] was, the kids just want that feeling time after time,” Sloan said. “They are driven to strive for the reward and know that it takes a tremendous amount of work but that it will all be worth it in the end.” While winning state titles has become a bit of a routine over the past few years for the Superlarks, they have continued to draw big crowds as they’ve played playoff games on long road trips to St. Cloud, Marshall and Minneapolis. “Our community gives us such great support and lives through our players vicariously,” Sloan said. “When you look at my entire coaching staff, I am the only one who did not play in Grand Meadow. It is basically the same with all of the game workers and statisticians. People love the program and want to be part of the program. I think our fans and community members are very proud when they put on their purple.”
2012: The Trailblazers
It all started for Grand Meadow when the 2012 squad advanced to the state title game, where it came up short by a score of 40-22 to Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley in the Metrodome. That state title game loss set the table for the following year when the Larks would come back bigger, stronger and faster. Trenton Bleifus threw for 217 yards and three TDs and he ran for 50 yards in the loss for the Larks, which went 12-2 overall that season.
2013: Breaking the Ice
The Superlarks started their historic run of four straight titles when they beat Underwood 28-6 in the Metrodome to win GM’s first state football title in school history. GM, which went 13-1 overall, was led by a big effort from Landon Jacobson, who ran for 123 yards and a TD, and Bleifus ran for 83 yards and two TDs, while throwing for 111 yards and a TD.
2014: Domination
The Superlarks had their most dominant run out of all its title runs as it finished the year unbeaten and demolished Edgerton-Ellsworth 48-0 in the state title game in TCF Bank Stadium. GM outscored its opponents 240-6 in the postseason in 2014. Jacobson, who finished with 98 career TDs, ran for 143 yards and three TDs in the title game and Michael Stejskal threw for 215 yards and three TDs.
2015: Winning with drama
The 2015 Superlarks also went undefeated, but they had some big tests along the way before they eventually beat Underwood 34-20 in the state title game in TCF Bank Stadium. GM trailed 20-14 in the second half against the Rockets and had to come back from a deficit to beat Waubun in the semifinals. Stejskal threw for 218 yards and three TDs and ran for 110 yards and a TD in the title game win for GM, and Christophor Bain had 171 yards of offense and two TDs for GM in the title game win.
2016: Wild Streak
The Superlarks capped off their third straight unbeaten season when they beat Cleveland-Immanuel Lutheran 41-21 in the state title game in U.S. Bank Stadium. Bain ran for 277 yards and four TDs in the win and he finished his career with 99 TDs, to break the GM record. P
TOP RIGHT: The Superlarks celebrated the first of four straight Minnesota Nine-Man championships in 2013. BOTTOM RIGHT: Christophor Bain had whale of a 2016 title game when he ran for 277 yards. OPPOSITE PAGE: Isabelle Olson proclaims the dynasty during the 2016 game.
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i Hayfield girls basketball coach Fred Kindschy has been a fixture in the Hayfield basketball scene as well has the high school scene for a number of years.
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Making an
impact
Longtime Hayfield basketball coach Fred Kindschy has left a lasting impression
Story by Rocky Hulne | Photos by Eric Johnson When Fred Kindschy moved to Hayfield to start a teaching and coaching career, he wasn’t thinking he’d stick around that long. But after 33 years in town, Kindschy has left a big impact on the community, but it has left a big impact on him. Over that time, he has worked as a fourth-grade teacher and he has been active as a head coach in girls basketball and boys basketball, and he’s also been an assistant coach for the softball team. Kindschy went high school in Osseo-Fairchild in Wisconsin and played junior college basketball at University of Barron County and went on to play at University of Minnesota Duluth and the University of Wisconsin-Superior. When he and his wife Lori moved to Hayfield, they figured it would be a short stop before they moved back to Wisconsin. “We were going to be here two years and come back to Wisconsin because that’s where my wife and I are from,” Kindschy said. “But that’s what happens in many small towns. Once you get there, you realize how friendly the people are and how easy the school is to work with. You develop friendships and 33 years later, here we are.” Kindschy developed a strong work ethic at an early age as he grew up on a dairy farm. He recalls getting up at 4:30 a.m. to milk cows on a daily basis, and his family rarely had chances to take a vacation. When he taught as a student aide as a senior in high school, he began to think about becoming a teacher. Kasey Krekling, who is a co-head coach of the girls basketball team with Kindschy, said that Kindschy has a big impact on Hayfield in many different ways.
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Fred Kindschy
•Consecutive winning seasons for Hayfield: 14 •State tournament appearances under Kindschy: 1
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Kindschy in the 2008 Minnesota Class AA Girls State Tournament.
Longtime Hayfield girls basketball coach Fred Kindschy runs through how he wants an inbounds play to go during a practice in Hayfield this season. “He does a lot of stuff that people don’t even realize. He’s in a bunch of different organizations in town and he coaches and helps whenever he can,” Krekling said. “He not only impacts the lives of youths, but a lot of people in Hayfield in general.” Hayfield junior Maggie Streightiff, who has played basketball and softball under Kindschy, also remembers him as a teacher when she was in elementary school. She said he’s been a great influence on her and her teammates. “He was a fun teacher and he’s a good guy,” Streightiff said. “As a coach, he’s pushed us to our full potential. He does a lot for the school in general and he’s always doing something for somebody or one of us.” Kindschy’s teams have always done two things: They’ve played with a high focus, and they’ve won. The Hayfield girls basketball team has had a winning record for 14 seasons in a row while playing in the very competitive Hiawatha Valley League (HVL). Kindschy said that playing tough teams like Kasson-Mantorville and Byron on a regular basis has only helped build up the program. He also said he’s been fortunate to have some good players and good families to work with over the years. “I lucked into a very good run of athletes,” Kindschy said. “Sometimes when you coach long enough you can see the cycles go up and down, but fortunately we’ve had a nice run of girls athletes go through for 14 years. It’s always easier to coach when you win, rather than when you lose. We’ve also had a load of parents along the way that have benefited
us. They’ve coached traveling teams and put in their due diligence and time.” Kindschy’s favorite memory as a coach came in 2008 when he coached the Vikings to a fourth place finish in the Minnesota Class AA Girls State Tournament. That team included his daughter, Taylor, and it also gained some redemption for Hayfield, which came up short of the state tournament in 2007. “It was kind of a strange turn of events because we were a better team the year before,” Kindschy said. “We were more athletic and we were deeper. But sometimes the chips just don’t fall where you think they should fall and we ended up getting beat by Fairmont in an upset [in 2007]. The next year we weren’t as good of a team, but we were playing well at the right time.” Jordyn Krekling was a sophomore on that state qualifying team, and she credited Kindschy for being a big force in her basketball career. She recalled when Kindschy would work with her on her game when she was still in elementary school. “From an early age, I’ve always looked up to him as a person,” Jordyn said. “He was always there and he’s a made a big impact on me. He was hard on us, but it was good for us.” Jordyn said the Hayfield community is lucky to have a coach and teacher like Kindschy in town. “I couldn’t have asked for a better coach. He saw the potential in each player and he knew all of our strengths and weaknesses,” she said. “It’s more than just the varsity team. He gets everyone involved and it starts at an early age.” P
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Training with the best
Troy Williams watches as Diego Soto, center, and Martial Amouzouvi work on a class project during a personal training class at Riverland Community College.
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hes as and work uring class unity
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Riverland teams up with Troy Williams for trainer program
on the board and it says go in and do your work,” Williams said. “There’s a lack of supervision and students are getting hurt. If you’re a coach who builds the program, then you know exactly what they’re going to do in the gym and to be educated and certified is the difference.” Nicole Edwards of Albert Lea has an Associate of Arts degree in message therapy and works at Chiropractic Sport and Spine Clinic. She took Williams’ course to broaden her scope of practice to help people find balance in recovery. By Rocky Hulne | Photos by Eric Johnson “Troy’s an amazing trainer,” Edwards said. “He really brings a different dimension to what a lot of trainers typically do, which is heavy weight training. He does a lot of body weight trainWhen Riverland Community College looked to expand the way it teaches personal training, ing and strengthening and that’s what I was hoping to gain from it.” it knew just were to turn. The personal trainer/athletic coaching course focuses on classroom work in the first semesRiverland is teaming up with Troy Williams of Impact Martial Arts and Fitness to help its stuter and hands-on activities in the second half. Eventually the students go out and work in local dents gain an edge in physgyms as part of the course ical training and Williams to obtain some field expehas delivered with his usual rience. enthusiasm and drive. That experience has been Starting this school year, beneficial to students. Williams arrived on the Justin Maxted, an AustraRCC campus to teach a lia native playing baseball personal trainer/athletic for RCC, hopes to eventually coaching certificate prowork in something related to gram. The 18-credit prophysical therapy or health. Nicole Edwards watches as her class partner Joey Willaby does gram runs two semesters While there are online pull-ups in the Riverland Community College weight room. The and it certifies students as courses and text books on project involved one of the duo to act as the trainer and other coaches in the Minnesota personal training, Maxted as the trainee. State High School League. said that working with It also qualifies and preWilliams is something you pares them to take the test simply can’t replicate on that gets them certified for your own. personal training. “The hands-on experience Suzy Hebrink, who is invaluable,” he said. “You teaches physical educacan read about it in a book, tion/health at RCC, said but at the end of the day it that Williams offers a comes down to knowing unique perspective on perhow to do it properly and sonal training. getting that physical experi“I think in Austin we ence. It offers me perspective have a great base of people on how I can develop myself in this career that could’ve as an athlete. This is the field stepped in. Troy has a I want to go into as a career. wealth of knowledge as a Troy is a great instructor. He’ll trainer and as a business talk to you and get to know owner,” Hebrink said. you and he’ll work with you.” While many high school Williams has enjoyed his coaches are well versed in time working with the stustrategy and leadership, some are not familiar with the correct weight training program to put dents at RCC. He’s excited about their potential as they all move into their careers. their athletes on. Williams said that it’s important for coaches to also learn the skills of personal “It’s such a great opportunity to bring my experience and knowledge to this next generatraining, which the course offers. tion of trainers,” Williams said. “I can actually bring them real world experience and I’m hav“Unfortunately with a lot of these programs that are set up, it’s just something that’s written ing a great time.” P
Chris Lukes and Bill Spitzer have been spearheading the drives to curb drug and alcohol issues in Austin. Photo by Eric Johnson
Waking to a new approach Fighting substance abuse in the community, with different angles, same goal Story by Deb Nicklay Fighting substance abuse in any community is a daunting task. But even those with different approaches and views on when and how you fight abuse can join together for a common goal: Awareness, which is fertile ground for future solutions. Two of the newest initiatives to combat substance abuse over the past year come from two individuals with different viewpoints, but with the joint vision to get people thinking about what the current abuse climate is doing to our fellow citizens, especially its youth. One is Bill Spitzer who, since August, has served as the planning and implementation coordinator for a $1 million, five-year grant to fight substance abuse in Austin. The Parenting Resource Center, with the help of the Austin Drug Taskforce, received the Minnesota Department of Human Services, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division grant earlier this year. The other is Chris Lukes, a local mom who spearheaded a drive of “Wake Up, Austin!” roundtable discussions and established a support group for those whose loved ones struggled with abuse. Austin Daily Herald
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Spitzer, a former deputy sheriff and mayor, works at Austin High School with the goal of building and maintaining collaborative efforts with the school, Austin Area Drug Task force, coalition members and community stakeholders. He also works with students in grades 7-12 to help bring awareness to alcohol and drug use within the schools and provide assessment, capacity building, strategic planning, program and strategy implementation and evaluation.
“We’re looking to change the norms, change the way of what people think is ‘normal’” — Bill Spitzer Planning and implementation grant coordinator Spitzer knows the drill — really knows it. He was hired as a coordinator to cover the last year of a grant award in the St. Charles area. So, when he was hired as coordinator of this grant, it was clear that he could hit the ground running. To date, Spitzer has been working to orga-
nize the effort and the community coalition that provides the working framework of the initiative. Its name, just recently unveiled, is the Austin Positive Action Coalition (APAC) whose slogan is “Truth Is.” Major emphasis, at least initially, will be on Austin youth’s number one substance of choice: alcohol.
In some ways, he said, it is the hardest of all abuses to fight. “We’re looking to change the norms, change the way of what people think is ‘normal’,” he said. He sees this effort as one that not only provides community-wide awareness — unlike, say, programs such as DARE that target a specific age group of children — but an active group of stakeholders, from schools to healthcare, to law enforcement, that can work toward solutions. Initial work will focus on alcohol use. “Our student surveys show that this is still the number one” choice of substanc-
Tiffany, second from left, talks about her research into the drug culture and her own recovery during a Wake Up Austin roundtable discussion on Oct. 24, 2016, at Knowlton Auditorium. To her right is Sarah, from her left are Isaac, probation officer Deb Schmitt, organizer Chris Lukes and P and I grant coordinator Bill Spitzer. Herald file photo
Chris Lukes, left, who helped organize the roundtable discussions, wraps up the program while her son, Jordan, looks on. Jordan also told his story of abuse and recovery. Herald file photo
Knowledge is power
Like Lukes, Spitzer applauded the work already being done by law enforcement and community officials, to school administrators and those who head up the Parenting Resource Center and Drug Task Force. He wants to amplify the message and accentuate the positive through prevention with real facts and understanding of the nature of the problem. Spitzer, in other words, would be the last to paint anything with a broad brush. The slogan for the coalition — called the Austin Positive Action Coalition — is “Truth Is.” Truth and salient facts will help to create a clearer focus on abuse issues. He wants a positive enforcement for youth to help them continue to make good choices. “We want to turn a negative into a positive,” he said. If they come at the issue of substance abuse from different corners, both said they will find common ground on the coalition. Lukes is serving as Spitzer’s vice president of the group of 46 different stakeholders. She believes in its work. “Knowledge is power,” she said. P
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Lukes’ involvement in the fight against drug use comes with a first-hand knowledge, and today she is working hard to raise awareness of opioid use. The rising abuse of prescription drugs and its sister companion — heroin — is devastating to users and their families, Lukes said. Her son, Jordan, fought drug use — especially the use of heroin, the new scourge on the nation’s communities — until, after a long journey that almost resulted in his death, he entered treatment and today is successful. She knows three mothers, she said, who lost sons to overdoses of opioids. When she first discovered his problem, she was shocked. “I was totally ignorant; I couldn’t believe it, we had heroin here?” she said. “I needed to speak to someone; I had no idea about these drugs and prescription pills,” she said. She began talking to her pastor and eventually an idea formed: a support group for families who have a loved one who is addicted to drugs, especially prescription drugs. The Circle of Hope has been meeting at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Austin for the past two years. She has seen as many as 35 attend sessions. It was clear to her that the
that we can do, silence and denial are the number one killers. The more we talk about it, the more we educate, thus raising awareness and saving lives.” As the number of drug deaths went higher, she worked to organize community forums on drug use in the community. Two
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tragedy of addiction and its impact on families cast a wider circle than she imagined. “You learn that people with addictions are sick, but so are the families,” she said. “We go through so much loving someone who is addicted, whether its alcohol, opiates, meth, whatever. There are things
different series, one last spring and one in the fall, provided powerful stories on the ravages of substance abuse on families. The roundtables emphasized personal stories from both families and those in recovery. In the last roundtable held in December, one of her guest speakers was her own son. The reaction to the roundtables was encouraging, she said. She is more convinced than ever that awareness and education are keys to a healthier, drug-free community. “Getting the doctors to limit prescribing large amounts, educating the public on how to store prescription drugs securely and dispose of them safely, letting people know that it’s okay to say no when your doctor offers you painkillers,” she said. “It takes strength to say to a doctor, ‘I don’t really need 30 Vicodin. Maybe I don’t need any at all. Advil or Tylenol should work just fine.’”
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es for youth. Surveys have also shown that perception about drug use and reality are often at odds. There is good news, in that student use is far below what some community members have perceived in surveys. “In some cases by 20 percent — and that is significant,” he said. That has prompted his work to promote positive community norms focusing on the good things kids are doing, while still working on prevention measures with real, factbased knowledge of the problem’s scope. No one is sugar-coating the challenge, however. Abuse of alcohol is difficult to fight, due to its comparatively easy accessibility, its legality and its widespread use by all ages.
Grow Mower good Health leaders aim to shift focus on wellness Story and Photo by Jason Schoonover
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itting in her Mower Refreshed office on Fourth Street Northwest in Austin, Coordinator Sandy Anderson shares a story about a physician and a mom during a child’s doctor visit. The mom smelled of cigarettes and wasn’t entirely put together with her attire, but the mom was waiting by snuggling and reading to her child when the doctor arrived. The doctor came in and focused not on the cigarette smell, but on the good: “Oh my word, you’re reading to your kiddo. That is so powerful; you are gonna make such a difference in your child’s life by doing that reading,” Anderson said, telling the story. While Anderson admits that might not immediately change the mother’s smoking situation, it starts things off on the right track — a positive track focused on the good. Anderson and Mower County Community Health Director Lisa Kocer are aiming to change the message around health and wellness by focusing on solutions and strengths as a way of addressing the issues. “We’re going to focus in on what we want to grow more of,” Anderson said. The mantra, in simple terms, is: Grow Mower good — though others use the less punny: Grow more good. That phrase is starting to be used at Austin Public Schools and with other community organizations as a rallying call to find the good things happening with the intent to expand and build off them.
Joining forces
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Mower County Community Health and Mower Refreshed, which is part of Mayo Clinic Health System in Austin, joined forces in late 2015 and throughout 2016 to complete the Community Health Needs Assessment as part of federal requirements under the Affordable Care Act. They completed random mail surveys and reached our to people ages 14 to 85 across most of the community’s ethnic groups to gauge the community’s health needs. “Typically what happens is we’ll surface a top three — that’s what happened in 2013,” Anderson said. “But the community had something different to say this time.” “Yeah they did,” Kocer added. “It was really a neat process.” Looking at the top 10, Anderson and Kocer didn’t find a clear top three. By the simple numbers, illegal drug use topped the list with 72 percent, unhealthy eating habits had 65 percent and adult obesity had 60 percent, but nothing in the top 10 had less than 41 percent on the survey. Anderson and Kocer took a step back and looked at the other issues making the top 10 — lack of exercise, underage drinking, childhood obesity, poor parenting skills, prescription drug abuse, sexually addictive teens and unsupervised children after school — and tried to put the issues in a broader, more meaningful focus. Instead of three specific issues, they broke the top 10 challenges into three categories: family challenges, chemical use and lifestyle habits. They then brought that to the Mower Refreshed leadership team. They worked to narrow the cause of these issues, and they targeted three: lack of connectivity, a lack of resilient building environments and unhealthy behaviors being perceived as the norm. The answer to fixing these issues, according to Anderson and Kocer, is to grow more good
Community Health Director Lisa Kocer and Mower Refreshed Coordinator Sandy Anderson are taking a unique approach to addressing health needs as part of a joint Community Health Needs Assessment. Diabetes Prevention Program. Health and efforts around it are a community effort, they say. “It’s all of us,” Kocer said. “We’re all aiming for that in different ways, and I think that’s the beauty of it.” ‘That’s not gonna define us’ Kocer and Anderson admit focusing on posIn building the good, Kocer noted they’re itives isn’t easy. trying to look at all the things already going Community health and law enforcement on in the community. The public health folks officials often form a specific lens focused on target prevention, services, and more. problems since their work often centers on “We felt like, OK, what do you do to build issues or people in crisis. That can skew how a community that is healthy and resilient?” people parent and how they view the world. Kocer asked. “From a public health lens, I look “I think it’s a difficult shift, but I think it’s realat that as a prevention strategy.” ly worthy to try and go there,” Kocer said. For example, Anderson Health and Human has gotten Services identifies feedback that families with high ACE this approach is — adverse childhood minimizing the experiences — scores problem; howand aims to help ever, she argues prevent similar ACE it’s recognizing a issues in the next genproblem but not eration. focusing on it. The higher ACE “Because rescore a community search tells us that has, the more it what we focus — Sandy Anderson on becomes our directs longterm lifeMower Refreshed Coordinator reality,” Anderson style issues like obesity, diabetes, chemical said. “And so it’s abuse and others. The giving that nod to aim is to equip people — especially parents the issue but saying, ‘That’s not gonna define and children — to build up more resilient peo- us.’” ple, families and communities. A big part of it is a shift of focus. Anderson A good boost and Kocer note people are trained to focus on One goal is that this approach will boost the failures in health, and those dominate the participation and bring people to the table to discussions. Anderson and Kocer want to talk be part of the solution, and that more innovaabout the good. tive strategies come to the surface. “I think what’s beautiful about what we’ve For the medical center, that could help drive been able to accomplish as a community is: the work and efforts that are occurring and the It’s OK to talk about health in a good way, in a aim is healthcare savings longterm. As these positive way,” Kocer said. “It’s something to issues are improved, the goal is for things like strive for versus, ‘Oh my gosh, do you know chronic drinking, diabetes, smoking and othhow many diabetics we have in the commuers to decrease over time too, decreasing costs nity?’” for the community and healthcare systems. “It’s focusing in on what you want to grow “It really is a win-win, but it’s also going to more of,” Anderson added. take years,” Anderson said. Kocer pointed to groups like the United Kocer admits that brings up one difficulty: Way of Mower County and the Austin YMCA Health organizations are expected to measure already promoting positive programs, like the the effects of their efforts, and such longterm and focus on and promote the positives. “I think that we’re finally getting it,” Anderson said. “It’s not about the programs; it’s about actually shifting environments and culture.”
“I think that we’re finally getting it. It’s not about the programs; it’s about actually shifting environments and culture.”
measures can be difficult to track in the short term. “It is very difficult, and lot of times we’re talking years before you can really see an impact on anything,” Kocer said. In looking ahead to future Community Health Needs Assessments, Kocer and Anderson say they partnership will continue and they say the goals of each could continually be rolled together. Kocer said almost all people are affected by the issues they’re aiming to address, not just Health and Human Services clients or medical center clients. In fact, Kocer and Anderson recognize that Mower Refreshed and Health and Human Services aren’t the ones doing the frontline work. That comes from things like the diabetes prevention group at the YMCA, family circles done by family facilitators, the work of the Crime Victim’s Resource Center, and the work done by faith communities. “They’re having the impact in terms of numbers, so when we’re looking to try to find numbers to impact, we’re looking to our community partners who are doing that frontline work,” Anderson said. “Our work tends to be creating that environment and be conduits,” Anderson added. The real measurements come from looking at how many community partners are doing work and how may people are attending key community events. They then ask people survey questions after events and get their story, which gives more story accounts of successes rather than numeric responses. They do think some of those numbers will come in time, but it will take time. “Creating healthy communities, improving health — it’s one step at a time,” Kocer said. But Anderson told another story of a group of students listening to a speaker talk about children and adults not wearing their seat belts, and the dangers it causes. At one point, one of the students asked Anderson a question: What about the people who are wearing their seat belts? “I’m like, ‘Yes, you’re getting it,’” Anderson said. “But they struggled so much, because they said it’s so easy to go to the negative. Because I said, sure, we’ve trained you from young up, so we’re now saying,” P
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A formula for the future After big 2016, Hormel Foods firmly focused on the future By Jason Schoonover Late in 2016, Hormel Foods Corp. did something stockholders and Austin residents have become unaccustomed to: The company sold a few of its brands by selling Clougherty Packing, LLC, parent company of Farmer John and Saag’s Specialty Meats, to Smithfield Foods Inc. for $145 million. While Hormel Foods has more frequently Hormel Foods Corp. CEO Jim Snee takes a question during a media press conference before been a buyer in recent years, Hormel’s annual meeting at Austin High School in January. Photo by Jason Schoonover “While the businesses have performed well, they no longer align with our company’s why Farmer John and Saag no longer fit. “We have enough other resources, enough growth strategies,” CEO Jim Snee said in a press Overall, Snee said the company’s goal is good other brands that can accomplish the same release at the time. business stewardship and good leadership to thing,” Snee said. As Hormel Foods celebrated its 125th birthcontinually review its portfolio and look to trim Often in recent years, Hormel have been day in 2016, the company continued pushing businesses that don’t fit the company’s strategic buyers. ahead on a vision for growth and sustainability vision. In May 2016, Hormel Foods acquired Justin’s in the 21st century world that could see the For Farmer John’s, they had a vision of taking LLC, a maker of nut butter spreads and prodworld’s population reach $8.2 billion in about a it to be a more national brand, and it’s more of a ucts, for $286 million. That came on the heels decade. West Coast favorite. of several large acquisitions in recent years, such “We have a great formula for success in place “Although we did a lot of things to improve as: Applegate Farms for $775 million, Wholly and then that we have a vision in terms of where the business to make it better, the fact is we Guacamole for about $140 million, CytoSports we want to take the portfolio, where we want to never really got it out of California, Arizona, Col- Holdings for $450 million, and Skippy for $700 take the company,” Snee said in January. orado,” Snee said. million. Those represent four of the largest five Looking at the other brands the company acquisitions in the company’s history. Future has acquired and what it would take to make But those acquisitions have been done with A few minutes before Hormel’s annual share- the company a national brand, Snee said it just something in mind: growth. Hormel has acholders meeting in January, Snee elaborated on didn’t fit. quired several brands in recent years at a time
when Hormel leaders see them as primed for growth, Chairman of the Board and retired CEO Jeff Ettinger said last summer. With businesses like Applegate Farms and Justin’s, Hormel leaders say they’re able to give the smaller companies a boost with the backing of Hormel’s research and development expertise and distribution capabilities. Looking at Hormel brands like Justin’s, Applegate Farms and CytoSport, Ettinger still sees much growth to come. “If you think about them, they’re still really quite new to our organization,” Ettinger said over the summer. “We’re just scratching the surface and getting started with the kind of growth and excitement that those items can lend the portfolio. So it’s going to be fun to see over the next few years the contribution that those items make coupled with the great items that our company’s had in the core portfolio for many years.”
A special recipe
In January, Snee discussed the company’s formula — or its special recipe — for success at the company’s annual shareholders meeting in January. Those keys: building brands, innovation, acquisitions and balanced portfolios. At the center of that, the company continues focusing its growth on multicultural products, the healthy and holistic market, global growth and on-the-go products. “We are well-positioned for the growing onthe-go trend around the world,” Snee said. While classic brands like Spam and Cure 81 hams remain staples in the company’s portfolio, it’s diversified it’s options in recent years by adding brands and products. But those don’t just come through acquisitions. Innovation within the company is also a key, as Ettinger points to products like REV Wraps,
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Now retired, Hormel CEO Jeffrey Ettinger, left, walks into Hormel Corportate North with new CEO James Snee. Photo by Eric Johnson because it’s quite an accomplishment,” Snee said. Snee has noted that the company’s growth plans won’t be easy, but it’s continuing to move forward. “It’s going to take a lot of hard work, and if it was easy any organization could do it,” Snee said to close his talk at January’s annual meeting. “But we aren’t any organization; we are Hormel Foods.” P
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over the summer. Still, Snee said the company is always on the lookout for potential companies to acquire. “We are exploring numerous high quality acquisition candidates both in the U.S. and around the globe,” Snee said. But Snee cautioned acquisitions are difficult and complex, adding a lot goes into getting deals across the finish line. “We do celebrate when we get them done,
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from Vital Cuisine meals. Hormel continues to grow with a global perspective, as its targeting multicultural foods with lines like it Megamex venture with Herdez del Fuerte, and it’s soon to reintroduce products to Chine with a plant in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province. “With the new plant we’re building over there, we’ll be able to have a Spam line right in that plant and so now we’ll be in a good position to have that keep growing,” Ettinger said
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Herdez Guacamole Salsa and the Skippy P.B. Bites developed by Hormel’s teams. Another is Muscle Milk lines and new yogurt-based smoothies. But Hormel has also been focused on Vital Cuisine, a line of foods designed for cancer patients. It used former Hormel employee Skip Mayhew as an example of someone who had difficulty eating and swallowing during cancer treatments but benefited
Spam Around the world for
Story by Jason Schoonover
Museum was big draw for Austin in first year downtown
T
o call 2016 a big year for Hormel Foods Corp. wouldn’t be an exaggeration. The company observed 125 years with a community celebration, saw its CEO retire and opened its new Spam Museum at 101 Third Ave. NE. The museum is the one expected to
Fast facts about the Spam Museum’s first months
•Some of the most popular items at the Spam Museum shop have been:˜Magnets, key chains, fishing bobbers, custom socks, air fresheners, Spam Brand˜slicers, lip balm, can huggers, T-shirts, caps, pens, cups and more. •Spam Portuguese˜Sausage has been the top selling flavor of Spam at the shop.˜ •110,068 people have visited the museum as of late January. •5,638 was the largest single-day attendance during the grand opening. •Visitors to the museum have come from all 50 states and 68 countries. •17,283 total recipes have been emailed to visitors from the various kiosks at a the museum. •Three groups visited from Hawaii, which is known for its love of Spam, for a total of 101 people. —Source: Hormel Foods Corp. and the Austin CVB
keep visitors coming to Austin for decades to come. Without the museum in 2015, the number of bus tours in Austin dipped from 112 in 2014 to nine in 2015. In 2016, that number surged to 179 as more than 100,000 visitors passed
Number of people from groups: 2016: 6,086 2015: 423 2014: 3,661 2013: 4,356 2012: 5,341
through the doors of the museum. The museum earned the Explore Minnesota’s Award of Merit for Attraction of the Year from Explore Minnesota. “It is a key attraction in Austin … and with that kind of impact, we have a definite economic impact,” said Nancy
Schnable, director of the Austin Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. “To be highlighted for such an award … makes us even more aware of how important the museum is to Austin’s vitality.” Here are some fast facts about the museum’s first year. P
Number of groups visiting Austin
˜Top 5 states for group tour and travel in 2016:
2016: 179 2015: 9 2014: 112 2013: 121 2012: 152˜
—Note: The Spam Museum was closed for 2015 and the fourth quarter of 2014.
Minnesota California Wisconsin Iowa Nebraska
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Spam Museum visitors have come from the following countries: Mexico Nepal New Zealand Nigeria Norway Panama Philippines Poland Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Russia Saipan Saudi Arabia Scotland Singapore
Slovakia South Africa South Korea Spain Sri Lanka Sweden Switzerland Taiwan Tanzania Thailand The Netherlands Ukraine United Arab Emirates United States Venezuela Virgin Islands
Serving the people of Mower County in areas of Employment and Contracted Services by building business partnerships for over 50 years. www.cedarvalleyservices.org
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• Community or Supported Employment • School to Work Transition • Center-Based Employment • Mental Health Service • Specialized Transportation
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England Ethiopia Finland France French Guadalupe Germany Greece Guam Honduras India Ireland Italy Japan Kyrgyzstan Malaysia Malta
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Argentina Australia Austria Bahamas Belgium Brazil Brunei Cameroon Canada China Colombia Costa Rica Czech Republic Denmark Dominican Republic Ecuador
All in the family
Bennetts keep growing Old 218
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Story by Jason Schoonover | Photos by Eric Johnson
ewind the clock back a few years and you’re likely to find Tony and Jim Bennett spouting B.S., political talk and other chatter between their offices at their business, Old 218. Today just inside Old 218 at 1308 10th Drive SE in Austin, you’ll see a few lounge chairs, a couch, several large rugs, speakers and rock posters adorning the walls just inside. Other lounge chairs and posters are peppered throughout the production area in back of the 15,000-square-foot building. Sitting in one of those front lounge chairs, co-owner Tony Bennett says it’s a business people want to work at, as he laughs and admits there’s no shortage of loud rock music and sarcasm most of the time. “The hardest part is knowing whether Tony is being serious,” jokes Michael Jordal, who works in art and sales. Another longtime worker comments the business is laid back, but the business is still what it’s always been: a family business. In the past few years, Old 218 has become a well known Austin brand, but the business dates back to the 1960s and 1970s to when founder Robert Bennett was selling things like pens, keychains, yardsticks, magnets and ice scrapers when he got started. “His favorite item was a flyswatter,” Tony said. “Because it was useful and had a good imprint area; people kept it.” Robert drove a station wagon and would reach back into the car and sell whatever his hand hit, Tony says. “It doesn’t really matter what you show, just that you show something,” Bennett said. But the company has changed dramatically since then. And while it’s perhaps best known locally for its Old 218 logo on mugs and caps peppered in the community, the bulk of its business is done outside Austin by selling bulk-order custom caps for trucking and manufacturing businesses, though it also does screenprinting, embroidery and other promotional printing items. The hats are often decorated overseas because the hat is embroidered before it’s assembled, which allows embroidery to go on any part of the cap. Bennett points to a cap going to Pontiac, Illinois, with embroidery on the sizing strap. They also bring in blank hats from overseas and decorate them in house for a quicker turnaround.
From a station wagon to Old 218
After selling for various companies, Robert started what’s now Old 218 as Robert’s Spe-
cialty Co. around the 1970s with an office of what Tony describes as a piece of plywood under the steps with much work done out of his station wagon on sales calls. From an early age, his sons, Tony, Joe and Jim went out on sales calls with him, and each eventually became involved with the family business. Changes followed in the industry and business too, with the company starting its printing end in 1987 while they were on Main Street and when Jim bought the company’s first embroidery machine, a one-head Melco Superstar. While the business progressed to having a few eight-head embroidery machines, an automated silkscreen press, a large gas dryer for T-shirts and water-based ink digital printers, among other technology, perhaps the biggest innovation in the business came from an unlikely spot: He replied to what many people would consider a Spam email. Tony and Joe credit Jim, who passed away last December after battling cancer, with taking the business to where it is today. “He was really the impetus behind a lot of it, wasn’t he?” Tony asked his brother, Joe. “I would say he was, for a long time, the driving force behind what we were doing,” Joe agreed. “He was always looking for that new thing.” Joe and Tony joked that Jim had a few bad ideas, like buying an early digital press that never worked well. But he was vital in getting Old 218 into screenprinting and embroidery. He got them into much of what they’re doing today. Jim started the import hat business by replying to an email Tony says most would consider a Spam email. “Where we are right now, the things that we continue to do, are what he got us into,” Joe said. The business became Old 218 about four years ago, as Tony said they were looking for a brand name and that Robert’s Specialty Co. was a bit of a mouthful on the phone. Tony and Jim argued which of them — or Joe — came up with the name Old 218, but they agreed on the name and a slogan that a customer came up with: The working man’s cap. But it’s worked because the logo, which is based on a highway sign, sticks in people’s minds. “Old 218, it’s kind of been nice because it’s becoming more of a brand name,” Tony said. “And people call us for a change too, rather than us having to make every phone call. A lot of people have seen our product out there.” After the rebrand to Old 218, Tony said the company has a lot more recognition around
Tony Bennett, front row from left, Michael Jordahl and Joe Bennett. Back: Dan Larson and Nate Brinkman.
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Still in the family
Despite being in his 80s, Robert still works full time making sales calls. Robert heard from retired people who are more busy in retirement than they were working, so he’s decided to keep working because he likes the business. Still, he’d rather be out traveling. “I wish I could be on the road yet,” he said. As Robert jokes, he got into the business before Wal-Mart formed, but Wal-Mart did a little better. But he’s happy to have spent decades working with his sons and seeing the business form to
Tony Bennett, co-owner of Old 218, shows off some of the work that’s done at the company. PICTURED TOP OF THE PAGE: The back work area of Old 218 where much of the embroidery is done on things like hats.
what it is today. “Our business has changed so much,” Robert said. Jim, Tony and Joe bought the business from their father over time several years ago. Joe appreciates working at Old 218 with family for several decades, and he’s worked with his nephews and has growth charts — plus one girth chart — for all the kids in the family. Tony agreed. “It’s unusual for three brothers to get along that well to run a business,” Tony said, noting he’s heard of other businesses where it doesn’t work. But that doesn’t mean it was always easy. Joe notes Jim was analytical, and Tony added his late brother was a perfectionist. Joe admitted the brothers clashed from time to time due to personality differences; however, they typically worked well together. Robert notes disagreements were rare. “We work all day long and then we go out for supper at night with each other,” Robert said. After Jim was diagnosed with cancer, he stepped away from the business for much of his treatment. Tony most misses the companionship with Jim, since he spent up most of his workdays with his late brother for 25 years. He’ll find himself wanting to contact Jim about a good order. “It’s hard to get used to that,” Tony said. Tony and Robert both miss the days when Jim and Tony had offices nearby and would spout back and forth. “They were both so very good at it,” Robert said of Tony and Jim. But the family business continues, and as Tony walked through the office earlier this year, he pointed to a rows of sample caps the company’s made lined up in a hallway that we was planning to move to make way for new caps to go on display. Tony jokes he’s still in the business because it’s all he knows how to do — and he’s good at talking — while Joe jokes the business is a bad habit. As for his tips to sales and making a family business work after all these years, Robert’s advice is simple: faith and hard work. “The harder you work, the luckier you get,” Robert said. “And that’s about it.” P
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Today, Old 218’s target audience is made up of small manufacturing, trucking, trailer and agricultural companies. When dealing with those businesses, it’s more likely to work with the company owner because it’s likely a family business. One of Tony’s favorite techniques is tracking the names of companies he sees on the road and trying to sell to them. “That’s one of my techniques,” he said. “Driving somewhere I’m always looking at mudflaps and the sides of semi trucks, Some of my better accounts actually came from me looking at a mudflap.” Another time he was out to and friends asked him how he found customers. He picked up a butter packet and said he could sell to that company. “And I sold them the next week,” Tony said. Old 218 will work with a variety of business sizes, whether or not they appear to be within their target range of small to mid-range manufacturers. “You can’t ever disregard anybody,” Tony said. “If they’re interested, you gotta talk to them. Sometimes you’re surprised by what somebody’ll spend.” Old 218 has imported hats for about 20 years, but it started doing overseas decorating about five years ago. Tony said there aren’t a lot of companies like Old 218 that design a hat and work directly with a manufacturer overseas to produce it. Often times, they go through a middle person. Tony said it’s hard to compete with Old 218’s prices. The minimum order on hats Old 218 will produce is 288, and they’ll do a lot of 576 order up to 3,000 to 4,000. All the caps shipped out have the Old 218 logo on the inside. Bennett will get calls from people who see the logos and call to make a purchase.
body else if you have a more unique presentation,” Bennett said. Tony will send them example products and virtual samples of what theirs could look like. They’ll occasionally make a product with a company’s logo on it to give them a taste of what they could buy. “It’s just a matter of making enough calls and enough follow-up calls to people and yet not harassing them,” Tony said.
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Old 218 today
About 95 percent of the company’s product is sold outside Austin across the U.S. About 40 percent of their business comes from items printed by other vendors and then shipped to their customers and invoiced. All the flat goods — shirts, sweatshirts and jackets — are still done in house at Old 218, but about half of the hats are done in house too. The hats have grown in the pasts few years and is what the business leads with, and then they’ll push promotional items and screen-printed T-shirts after that, along with embroidery jackets. For the hats, they deal factory-direct from overseas, so that makes it hard for other businesses to compete with Old 218’s pricing on hats. “It’s a good way for us to get the foot in the door,” Tony said. Tony expects the overseas hat portion to keep growing, and he’s purchased a few molds overseas for promotional items to be unique to Old 218. “The idea is to have something that you can send to somebody with a price, and they can’t just go down the block and buy it from some-
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Austin, and he noted he’s gotten texts of people in airports in places like Utah spotting Old 218 hats. “People like the brand,” he said. “It’s the first time I’ve ever had people come in and they want to buy my hats.” “It’s been fun,” he added.
Da-Qing Yang is a Hormel Institute scientist working with Judy Lundy to form a potential plan to commercialize some of his research from the institute. Photo by Eric Johnson
From the bench to the bedside
Institute gets help taking research closer to commercialization By Jason Schoonover To use a metaphor, Dr. Da-Qing Yang’s research is sprouting roots, forming a base and readying to break the surface. But it’s still a long way from growing into a tree and will need help to produce fruit. Yang, a research scientist in The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota’s nutrition and metabolism section, is working to secure funding and wet lab space for Austin Biosci-
ences LLC, a company he formed to commercialize a diagnostic test for early breast cancer detection. But to bring his promising research to its full potential, Yang must complete many steps that could take years: He must register with various health and small business groups and seek grant money as he pushes toward clinical trials and, hopefully, Food and Drug Administration approval. But Yang isn’t alone in his efforts. Along with the many collaborators,
researchers and clinicians who’ve helped with his research, Yang has a more recent partner in Judy Lundy, commercialization/innovation coordinator of Austin Community Growth Ventures. She’ll help him seek government dollars and work with agencies like the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the Small Business Association. “She helps with all those,” Yang said. “And certainly in the future she will help … with all different stages of commercialization.”
Lundy was hired through a partnership of The Institute, the Development Corporation of Austin and The Hormel Foundation last year to help Hormel Institute scientists commercialize their research and advance it to the next step. Or, as Yang described it: The aim is to take their research results from “the bench to the bedside.” The goal is to give scientists an incentive for commercializing their research and help their work benefit people, said Gail Dennison, di-
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ments from local, national and international resources,” Yang said.
rector of public relations and development. “We don’t want to have a discovery that could be a benefit going missed,” she said. “Our goal is to get it into the hands of the people,” she added.
Big future?
the shortcomings of mammograms,” Yang said. While mammograms detect breast cancer based on images, Yang’s tests could identify early breast cancer by detecting abnormal chemicals secreted by pre-invasive breast cancer cells to the blood. The U of M patented Yang’s technology in mid-2016, and the company is looking to develop and eventually commercialize the technology in the U.S. and other countries. Yang, whose research has been supported by Paint the Town Pink, has 15 years of breast cancer research experience, but he’s new to the business world. “To me, it’s a big learning process,” he said. But Lundy brings a breadth of experience. She co-founded Mill Creek Life Sciences, which manufactures products used to grow stem cells for use in regenerative medicine. She also has more than 25 years experience working for Mayo Clinic in various leadership roles, as well as clinical and research experience. Lundy hopes to take the lessons learned
from Mill Creek and her background to help empower scientists at The Institute. “We’re just going to start lots of Mill Creeks in Austin,” she said. Yang referenced Lundy’s experience starting a biotechnology company in Rochester as he spoke about her early work with his project. “She’s more like a lead,” he explained. “So she helped me with all the registrations.” Yang and his partners are still trying to get future funding as their work moves toward clinical trials. “Clinical trials will take a lot more money; [they] cost a lot more money than typical basic, let’s say, cell research,” Yang said. And such efforts don’t happen overnight. In the next several years, Yang needs to complete a phase one sustainability study, which could take a year, and he’ll need to start phase two clinical trials, which take about two years, before moving ahead on early commercialization and large scale clinical trials before applying for product approval from the Food and Drug Administration. “Certainly we’re looking for further invest-
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Judy Lundy is the commercialization/innovation coordinator for Austin Community Growth Ventures. She’ll help The Hormel Institute scientists seek ways to commercialize the findings of their research. Herald file photo
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The bench to the bedside is a long road. Incubating a business like Yang’s could take nine years since clinical trials are involved, according to Lundy and DCA Executive Director John Garry. “But you gotta start if you want to get there,” Garry said with a laugh. “For now, I think what we’re trying to do is build kind of from the ground up an ecosystem that supports these types of companies.” Lundy will play a key role in shaping that ecosystem through Austin Community Growth Ventures. She’ll be a resource to help scientists take on a different mindset than the “publish or perish” focus. She wants them to ask: How can this research translate into a commercial or business venture? That’s what Yang is doing now, with the help of Lundy. Yang and his fellow researchers, like Dr. Margot Cleary, Dr. Adrian Hegeman and others in Austin and at the U of M’s St. Paul Campus, established a highly sensitive technology that can detect trace amounts of metabolites — or small molecules — caused by altered glucose metabolism in metastatic breast cancer cells. Their test can identify pre-invasive breast cancer in conjunction with mammograms to prevent unnecessary breast biopsies and save patients’ lives. Mammogram screenings can detect a lot of suspicious lumps or lesions. But once a biopsy is recommended, 80 to 85 percent come back as negative; on the other hand, mammograms cannot catch many of the suspicious lesions in women with dense breasts, Yang said. “We want to develop a biochemistry-based blood test for breast cancer that can overcome
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‘You gotta start’
While Yang is looking for support now, the hope is companies like Austin Biosciences will eventually yield a strong harvest in terms of jobs and economic development. As this grows from The Institute, Garry and Lundy hope to make the resources of Austin Community Growth Ventures available to the entire community for other possibilities, though it’s starting with a focus on The Institute. As companies bud and grow from this effort, it should open up auxiliary opportunities for other potential jobs for things like graphic arts, tool and dye, electronics, production, IT, shipping, logistics and more. “If we start a bioscience company, it won’t just be about producing that, but we have all of the other disciplines that it takes to create that company,” Lundy said. Then, they’ll look at what is needed here in Austin to get those companies to stay in the community. They need to staff budding companies and have management teams available. “We know that there’s talent in Austin for that,” Lundy said. “We have trailing spouses; we just have people that haven’t had the opportunity to do that.” In terms of economic development, Garry said Austin Growth Ventures could be an important investment in the community’s future. While the DCA looks to recruit companies to move here, Austin Community Growth Ventures is a different approach the DCA’s work. It aims to look at the community’s assets to find ways to build on them. To return to that metaphor, Garry compared commercialization at The Institute to looking at a 20-year-old tree and being happy that you planted it year ago. “You’ve got to plant it, even though it’s going to be quite a while,” Garry said. “You’ve got to start with the acorn,” Lundy added. P
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Business of family
Hamilton Auction Company has allowed local farmers access to used parts and vehicles since 1969 Story by Rocky Hulne | Photos by Eric Johnson
Andrew Hamilton has been co-owner of Hamilton Auction Company since 2000.
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Hamilton Auction Company auctions a variety of vehicles and farm implements.
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there, but I feel there’s getting to be more equipment for them to complete their operIt’s one thing to be part of a successful business, but it means a little bit more to be part ation.” of a successful family business. Along with the addition of space, Andrew has had to make some changes in the techWhen Andrew Hamilton became the co-owner of the Hamilton Auction Company with nology department. He recently added online auctions and he’s considering making a his friend Bill Hilton in 2000, he knew he was in the right place. His great-uncle Earl Hamilphone app for the company. ton started the business in 1969 and the current facility was put up in 1993. “With technology and things changing, we’ve had to keep up with Over the years, the company has made a purchase or sale of farm the times,” Andrew said. “Keeping up with technology is a big task equipment to many local farmers in a five-county area. Hamilton Auction at a Glance for us, and we want to keep the business growing. It seems like if you “There’s a lot of pride in knowing that your family has done well •Year Hamilton Auction Company don’t grow, you’re going backwards.” in the community,” Andrew said. “There’s satisfaction when you opened: 1969 Earl’s wife, Ruth, who is a co-owner, still works in the day-to-day leave every day and you know you had a part in helping somebody •Year the current faculty opened: operations at the company and that’s just another part of the tradition out. As the generations go down, you’ve dealt with multiple gener1999 for the Hamilton family. ations. You want to do business on a certain level and maintain that •Consignment sales per year: 3 Andrew also happens to be a fourth generation farmer. His great confidence.” grandpa moved from Iowa to LeRoy in the 1900s and the family has While the auction company has been around for nearly 50 years, taken on farming ever since. it has had to make some changes to keep up with the time. The Andrew said that there is something satisfying about farming the same land that his company built the current location so it has the proper space to hold its three consignfamily has for a century. ment sales each year. The sales take place in spring, pre-harvest and post-harvest and “You become connected with the area and the farm,” Andrew said. “You set your roots there have been up to 2,000 farming items per sale during those auctions. and its there. It means something to you. You’re there with your struggles and you’re “It’s gotten to the point where 12 acres of lot is completely full,” Andrew said. “It’s there with your gains. It’s been really good to my family and hopefully we can continue all either small miscellaneous stuff or large vehicles. There’s always a need for it. Not that.” P everybody can afford a new piece of equipment. There’s getting to be less farmers out
Mike Rand, Sales Representative • Toll Free: 1-800-544-2679 E-mail: mike@tsbm.com • Web: www.tsbm.com
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The Lyle Lions have received a boost as an influx of younger members have helped raise numbers.
New blood and a new roar Influx of new members has Lyle Lions looking to do some good Story by Jason Schoonover | Photos by Eric Johnson The Lyle Lions looks different than it did five years ago, as do the club’s meetings. At many of the monthly meetings at 6:30 p.m. on a Tuesday, members bring their children and let them play as the adults meet, and members try to keep the meetings short for members’ busy schedules. It’s not like past gatherings that used to go longer and would sometimes include a meal. “It’s a different world than it was 50 years ago, and we just have to change to accommodate it,” Lyle Lion Ron Frank said. Frank, 61, is one the longest-tenured Lyle Lions, and he
witnessed an influx of new members that saw him go from being one of the club’s younger members to one of the senior members. “Now I’m the old guy,” Frank joked. A few years ago, the club’s membership were dwindling through attrition, as members were aging out and numbers were beginning to dwindle. But members of the Adams Lions stepped in to help Lyle keep its club going. With the help of the district governor, they invited members of the volunteer fire department and others to a meeting to tell them what Lions is all about.
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ABOVE: Lyle Lions Stacy Mason (secretary), from left, Ron Frank (president), Alex Block (vice president) and Brady Block (treasurer) lead January’s meeting in Lyle. “Now I’m the old guy,” Frank has joked. LEFT: Lyle Lions vice president Alex Block listens as his wife and treasurer Brady Block gives the treasurer’s report.
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club goal moving forward. Alex said they’d like to see a wider spread of ages represented in the club, as he stressed people of any age can join — and people don’t need to be
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in projects, such as the park projects of the past. Though the club currently has many members in their 30s, diversification is a
from Lyle — or even Minnesota — to join. But to Frank, whose parents were Lions, it all goes back to growth. Frank looked back at some of the big projects the Lyle Lions and other clubs have done in the past, like park projects and playground equipment, and he sees that as a longterm goal. “That’s where we want to go, but we have to take it somewhat slowly to get there,” he said. “I know we can do it,” he added. P
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Alex Block, 28, and his wife, Brady, 27, decided to join, and Alex was soon after elected vice president of the club. “They said it was just a very heartwarming experience,” said Alex, a crop specialist at Agvantage FS in Lyle. The message caught many in attendance, as Alex said a new core of young people joined, not wanting to see the club dissolve. “Now it’s a bunch of people in their mid30s,” he said. The club now has about 22 to 25 members, who hail from both Minnesota and Iowa. For Alex and Brady, who works at Hormel Foods Corp., the club has helped connect them to the community. “It’s a good opportunity for couples as well,” Alex said. But the main goal of Lions is service. One of the first things that stuck out to Alex was how Lions is a global organization. One of the Lions’ big focuses is eye health, and Alex noted regional Lions clubs are joining forces to raise funds for a machine that tests eye diseases early in young children to be used by several communities. The club has also helped students get glasses through national program at Shopko’s optical center. “It’s a good way to give back to your community,” Alex said of Lions. Lions International is one of the largest service organizations around and it can do a lot of good on the local level. The Lions’ reach both locally and across the globe provides resources for being active and producing change in the community. “It’s a framework to do community service,” Frank said. Frank said the club also helps bring project management methods and professional expertise to projects. The club also has a big hand in the Lyle Independence Day Celebration. The club is looking to expand its means for giving, and its looking to build a fund balance to give scholarships and participate
4,800 miles to share the Gospel Grace Baptist forges strong ties with community in Crato, Brazil By Ashley Harrington After almost 80 years of supporting and sending missionaries to Brazil, Grace Baptist Church members decided to take a chance and finally travel there themselves. At first, it was a chance for the Austin church members to follow the biblical call to help one another. “We really are Bible believing, and it says to go out and reach people in any way you possibly can,” said Grace member Bill Holder. A 10-person group took a mission trip to Crato, Brazil, from June 16 to 30, 2016, with the main goal of service, but it also looked to learn from the trip, said Clint Phillips, the mission trip’s coordinator. “Sometimes we get a very closed-off mindset, not intentionally, but we get wrapped up in our own community,” he said. “Doing this, going to another place, helps you see a bigger picture.” The group had plans to make the trip a year earlier, in summer 2015, but their trip was halted after their visas didn’t
come in time. So, members found themselves with an extra year to fundraise and prepare. “We sent out letters and asked for support,” said Alexa Wood, who traveled to Brazil with the group. “Each of us took a Sunday and went up to the whole church talking about why we wanted to go.” After some willful planning, the group of 10 set out for Crato, Brazil. “We took anyone that was willing to come. All they needed was a passport and a visa,” Clint said. In Brazil, they found a familiar face. Julie Leonard, an Austin native, was a member of the Grace Baptist Church before moving to Brazil to become a missionary after graduating from college. She and her husband, Jim, are missionaries in Brazil. They have worked to spread the Gospel and offer worship for almost 30 years. With Grace and Brazil’s close ties, Julie and Jim housed and took care of the Grace members during the trip. The group set out to share the Gospel,
A group from Grace Baptist Church visited Brazil last June. Pictured, from left, in back row are: Clint Phillips, Nick Berthiaume, Dave Holder, Alexa Wood and Bill Holder. Pictured in the front row are: Nikki Phillips, Vicki Bjork, Gail Kawamura, Alayna Wood and Helen Holder. Photo provided
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town to small town, the church became the thing that united the diverse group of people. “You go there and you expect it to be different, but it’s very much the same,” Clint said. In Brazil, one could be met with a different language and a different culture, but at the end of the day, it’s the same Gospel.
Nikki Phillips, another member to travel to Brazil, talked of the sense of community between Brazil and Austin. “I think [in terms of community], on their part it’s a lot stronger,” she said. “When we go there, it’s like they’ve been paying a lot more attention to us than we have of them.” But the church members brought a bit of that sense back to Austin.
A local area Church Directory is printed every Friday in the Austin Daily Herald
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— Clint Phillips Grace Baptist Church
“I think now our sense of community will grow stronger now that we’ve made this trip,” Wood said. In addition to the church’s strong ties with Brazil, members also have personal relationships with other missionaries from around the world. Israel, Spain, Mongolia and Hong Kong are just four of the 17 countries with whom the church is connected. Now back in Austin, the group plans to expose Austin to the bountiful and colorful things they learned in Brazil. “Brazil is such a rich place to study the Bible, but Austin is such a diverse place that needs the same thing,” Bill said. “I want to get them [Austin] excited and the Bible shows us how to do that,” he added. P
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“You go there and you expect it to be different, but it’s very much the same.”
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but little did they know the people of Brazil would teach them many lessons. “To go there and see what has happened with this pebble you’ve dropped in the water; you really see what an influence it has,” said Helen Holder, talking of the church’s long relationship with Brazil. The people of the church hoped to not only preach the same song, but to educate the people on speaking English as well as teach them about American holidays. “They celebrate many of those [American] holidays, but they don’t know why,” Wood said. “It’s nice to be able to communicate what the Bible means to us.” Despite being in another country, the group realized how similar the American and Brazilian populations are. From small
A monument to veterans Blooming Prairie Veterans Memorial moving ahead with community gusto
Artist’s rendition of the Blooming Prairie Veterans Memorial. Photo provided
Story and Photos by Eric Johnson The people of Blooming Prairie get things done. One only has to look at the progress that has been made on the Blooming Prairie Veterans Memorial. The memorial already has a plot — a large piece of open land sandwiched between the Serviceman’s Club to the west and Highway 218 to the east. It’s a perfect place to show how supportive the town is of its servicemen and women. The project jumped out of the gates thanks to a $25,000 donation from Farmers & Merchants Bank of Blooming Prairie last August. “It’s a beautiful layout and a wonderful way to honor those that have served,” bank president Jim Fiebiger said on the day of the check presentation. Since then the committee has creeped toward the phase of planning where the ground work can begin. The project itself has a goal of $250,000, but according to memorial chairman Tom Peterson, just under half of that should facilitate the beginning of construction. “It’s not going to take too much more before the committee is comfortable in getting the ground ready,” Peterson said. “If we get $100,000 we can start getting ground work done.” As of early January, the committee had raised $82,066 with 127 paver stones sold — enough for one wall and the start of another. Peterson said the support for the project from the community continues to drive the process forward. “Very good, very supportive,” he said. “Everyone has been more than supportive. They say they are going to get a paver and I believe them. Paver sales have been real steady.” The project has advanced without a hurried pace to avoid getting into situations where funds may not be available.
This has prevented the committee from setting a specific end date for the memorial, but it keeps the process smooth at the same time. “We really don’t have a target,” Peterson said. “The committee is being very smart in such a way that we don’t get ourselves in trouble by committing to do too much before we have the money in the bank.”
Filling a need
The project got its feet under itself a little over two years ago when the Sons of the American Legion came up with the idea.
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Event Details available at J&H Liquors
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H April 1......Customer Appreciation Day... “31 Years of Business” H May 9.......Wine Tasting, Benefit for the B.P. Boys & Girls Club H June 24.....Cruise for Cancer Ride H July 1........Parking Lot Dance (21 & Over Only) H July 3........Street Dance (21 & Over Only) H July 4........Open 9am – Close H July 22......B.O.B. Ride... “Toys for Tots” H Nov. 2.......Holiday Dazzle Wine & Beer Tastings, Benefits the .P. Chamber H Dec. 1.......Holiday Dazzle Downtown Festivities 5pm – 7pm H Dec. 16.....Harvey’s Holiday Cheer
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Farmers & Merchants Bank President Jim Fiebiger left, hands over a check for $25,000 to Blooming Prairie Veterans Memorial Chairman Tom Peterson in front of the bank last summer.
Tom Petereson (right), chair of the Blooming Prairie Veterans Memorial Committee talks about a $25,000 donation from Farmers & Merchants Bank last summer.
The community quickly got behind the project and in quick order got the committee formed. By August of last year, with help of the Farmers & Merchants donations, the group announced it already had $61,000 in the bank. The layout will face the Serviceman’s Club. As people walk onto the memorial, a pedestal with a bald eagle honors prisoners of war. At the center will be five slabs representing each of the five branches of the military with a flag pole at its center. The pavers will be mounted in a semicircle around the slabs with room for 120 pavers each or 720 pavers total. “It’s simple, but it’s majestic on the simplicity,” Peterson said in August. The land the memorial will sit on was donated by the Serviceman’s Club.
“They determined they were going to gift some acreage to the memorial,” Peterson said.
A natural fit
For small towns like Blooming Prairie, honoring veterans seems almost inherent of the people living there. Blooming Prairie is no different. Peterson said that Blooming Prairie has had a strong tradition of supporting those men and women who have served in the military and this memorial when be a nice representation of that fact. “What better way to recognize them than to put up a memorial, thanking them for their service,” Peterson said. “We’re doing what we need to.” P
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Donating
There are four levels of donations for the memorial. •Platinum Level: $25,000 and up •Gold Level: $10,000 to $24,999 •Silver Level: $5,000 to $9,999 •Bronze Level: $1,000 to $4,999
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A completed form with cash or check payment can be sent to Blooming Prairie Veterans Memorial, PO Box 432, Blooming Prairie, MN 55917. The names of donors giving $1,000 or more will be recognized in a book, grouped by donation level, located inside the main entrance of the Servicemen’s Club, along with the directory of the location of each service member being honored.
Another place to play Story by Rocky Hulne | Photos by Eric Johnson
Vision 2020 program for new rec center is moving on
With a location secured, the plans for the new downtown rec center to be built in place of the downtown power plant can move forward.
As the snow begins to melt this spring and things begin to thaw out, Matt Cano can finally stop waiting and he can start seeing action. Cano and Tanya Medgaarden, co-chairs of the Vision 2020 Community Recreation Center Committee, see the new rec center in Austin coming closer and closer to a reality. “When we first started Vision 2020, you thought of the year 2020 being out in the distance, but now that we’re at 2017 it’s getting really closer,” Cano said. “We’re excited. It goes through streaks where you kind of have to wait for things to happen before you can do anything and you kind of have to wait for it to be approved.” In 2016, the Austin YMCA, Vision 2020 and the city of Austin reached a deal to make the former downtown Austin Utilities Plant the future home of the Austin Community RecreAustin Community ation Center, but a lot of work remains. Recreation Center estimated With the project approved, the rec center funding committee is focused on a capital campaign and $35 million: Estimated project feasibility study through April. That study will cost. focus on the project’s budget and will figure out $25 million: Money coming from how much funding will be available along with The Hormel Foundation. the $5 million Hormel Foods Corp. has pledged. $5 million: Money pledged by The old utilities plant will come down as early Hormel Foods Corp. as this summer, and construction on the new rec $5 million: Money expected to be center could begin as early as spring 2018. raised through a capital campaign. The demolition project could take longer than —A feasibility study this spring will expected if it runs into any environmental issues, further hone the costs. but Cano is confident that the project should be
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able to stay close to the expected timeline. Key elements of the “We’re getting close to that starting gate to reAustin Community ally launch into it. When we get into the demoliRecreation Center tion phase and the construction phase, it’s going —A new YMCA and the workout to be a very busy time for our committee,” Cano rooms and classroom associated said. “We’re pretty excited. There’s a lot of bewith most YMCAs hind the scenes work to do before we get up and — An aquatic center running. I wish we’d get started and we’re excit—A gymnastics area ed for that date when we begin construction.” —A Youth Activity Center The rec center will look to better Austin’s —An indoor playground ability to provide recreational activities for the —Community meeting spaces community. Cano said it will include dedicated space for the Austin gymnastics team, an aquatic center that includes a lap pool and a pool for kids and families, and it will provide gym space. There will also be workout facilities, which include a weight room, aerobic rooms and classroom space for yoga and kickboxing. The biggest thing the rec center will hope to provide would be versatility. “A lot the design is going to be having multi purpose rooms so we can have flexibility. We’re trying to accommodate everybody as best we can. There will be times that exercise evolves into something we don’t know and that’s why it’s important to have flexibility on those spaces,” Cano said. “We don’t want to double up on amenities. We’re trying to free up some gym space for the schools so they can use it in the schools for other activities. Gym space is also an issue at the YMCA.” As the project moves forward, Vision 2020 Director Greg Siems says a lot of the details will need to be worked out. That process will require input from the all the stakeholders in the project: the YMCA, the city, Vision 2020 and the community. “We want to get as much input from as many different places as we can,” Siems said. When completed, the rec center will give Austin a new facility that offers several activities. “This is something that will benefit our community and we’re excited about that,” Cano said. For more information, visit http://www.vision2020austin.com/pages/our-committees/ community-recreation-center/contact-info/. P
Matt Cano and Tanya Medgaarden are co-chairs of the Vision 2020 Community Recreation Center Committee.
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Jake Fejedelem has been leading the technological surge at the Austin Public Library.
‘Something’s happening’ W
hen Jake Fejedelem started to work in libraries in 2000, computer literacy was becoming a key focus … and everyone was getting AOL CDs in the mail each month, he joked. “Everybody went, ‘Oh yeah, something’s happening. We’re not really sure, but something’s happening,’ ” Fejedelem joked, exerting a boisterous, deep laugh. Though Fejedelem is a librarian at the Austin Public Library, he spends little of his time focused strictly on books. As the technology librarian, he spends much of his time on things like prepping the library’s 50 Chromebooks and 135 Wi-Fi hotspots, helping patrons with technology questions and helping the library bridge the digital divide. Fejedelem is often the librarian tasked with helping people with technological learning. Internet and computer access is getting easier and more affordable over time as devices are cheaper. “It’s the human element that really needs refining,” he said. “Gadgets are fine — getting people comfortable with them, that’s the big thing.”
Library hotspot users per month
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Per Month January 15 eF bruary 24 March 27 April 24 May 16 e Jun 24 July 35 August 49 e Se pt mb e r 71 Octob e r 63 Nov e e mb r 37 e D ec e mb r 25
Total 15 39 66 90 106 130 165 214 285 348 385 410
Hotspot circulations: 1,190 Chromebook circulations: 528
Jake Fejedelem is leading the library’s growing tech offerings Story by Jason Schoonover | Photos by Eric Johnson
‘We’re doing it’
Fejedelem has been in Austin since March 2015, and he’s been in libraries since 2000, aside from a brief time away trying a different field. Since 2003, he’s been focused on the technology. While most think books when thinking of libraries, technology is just as important. For years, libraries have focused on a diverse array of educational, learning and enrichment tools, and technology has long been at the heart of such efforts. For as long as Fejedelem has been in libraries, bridging that digital divide has been an American Library Association goal, thanks to the growing importance of the internet. Since 2006, the Austin library’s mission statement has included promoting a “stimulating learning environment” with up-to-
date- technology and with knowledgeable staff to help “promote reading and computer literacy.” “That was from 10 years ago and it’s still valid,” Fejedelem said. In simple terms, the digital divide refers to lack of access or limited access, whether it’s underserved areas where internet options are limited or people who can’t afford home broadband. “A shocking number of people still don’t have basic internet access when it’s becoming more and more required to exist in modern society,” Fejedelem. “Because the number of jobs you can get with a paper application are pretty close to nil at this point, and the sheer amount of things you need an email address for — everything needs an email address now.”
Over time, Fejedelem sees the digital divide shrinking. The library has been key in providing tools for internet access. The library debuted its hotspot program last year with no advertising to 15 checkouts that month. By last December, the hotspots had more than 400 unique users and have reached 1,190 checkouts, while the Chromebooks were circulated 528 times. To Fejedelem, that’s a sign they’re finally bridging the digital gap. “This is the first time in my career where we can say, ‘Hey, we’re doing it,’” Fejedelem said.
The human element
Early on, the library had broadband while many homes had dial-up. But now phones and tablets are becoming more and more significant, and since cell data often gets used up quickly and can rack up costs, Fejedelem said that makes the libraries free WiFi and hotspots important additions to save people money and data. Over his tenure in libraries, the biggest changes aren’t so much with the offerings, which have improved steadily; the biggest
Gimp
Firefox/Chrome/Vivaldi
Blender
VLC Media Player
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ A free media player, VLC handles the files that Windows Media Player won’t. Real
Firefox: https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/ firefox/new/ Chrome: https://www.google.com/chrome/ Vivaldi: https://vivaldi.com/?lang=en_US Tired of Internet Explorer? Try a new browser. Firefox and Chrome are made to be user-friendly replacements for Internet Explorer. Vivaldi is a new browser based on Chromium, but focused on speed.
change is the human aspect, which has grown more complex. Early on, most people were at the same level. “Nobody knew anything, and it was fantastic because you could make lesson plans that everybody would be on the same page,” Fejedelem said, talking about the newness of introducing email and other such basics to people in classes. That made it easy to teach people. But now with mobile devices, tablets and other devices more readily available, people are coming in at dramatically differing levels of experience. “You have a lot more fragmented learning patterns with people,” Fejedelem said. People will use Facebook and email, but they don’t think of themselves as computer users. That means computer classes are less common, while one-on-one interactions helping people learn and troubleshoot are becoming more common. Fejedelem likes chatting with people, answering their questions and sending them on to play with the devices before they come back with additional questions. “A lot of it’s just filling in people’s gaps now instead now instead of just mass education,” he said. With the library’s Chromebooks and Wi-Fi hotspots, Fejedelem says the best way for people to learn to use them is to just take them home and goof around.
“The classroom method no longer works,” he said. “Your best bet is to take it home, research something you’re interested in — we don’t care what it is as long as it’s legal — get comfortable, get familiar, do the same thing a thousand times.” The future of tech and assistance is specialized training if trends continue their current course. Some of that is happening in Austin now. Oftentimes, children will buy their parents a tablet on sale, but the parents have a tough time managing the tablet. Many tablets can get certain licenses, like an Android license, for a device; however, the tablet itself isn’t an Android. So much of it is to train them to use a device. “I’ve probably seen 16 different tablets this year and probably a dozen different Android phones,” he said toward the end of 2016. Typically, he has people bring them in, he works with the device a bit and looks to get it working for that person. He’ll troubleshoot the device and looks up issues online. “That gets people happy and then they start using the materials,” he said. He recalled one person being hesitant to use an item and even brought it to Fejedelem in its original packaging. He recalled another woman in her 90s getting e-books for the font size.
Like with that woman, a lot of it is one-onone training to help people out. “People just need to be comfortable with their devices,” Fejedelem said. A lot of companies mean well and offer online lessons, but Fejedelem notes that requires a strong base of knowledge to access. He’ll help several people in a day, whether if it’s formatting problems in Word or problems printing a paper. He’ll try to help them as they go to learn as they fix the little problems. Many people need help with fax and copy machines. Fejedelem admits you have to be open to people’s concerns for his job, and he has to adapt to their level. He admits he used to talk over people in his early days on the job, and says he’s become wiser with age as he learned to help people at their levels. Some people will never be experts, he admits, and everyone learns at their own pace. He admits he’ll never juggle, and likewise some people will never mast technology. Thus he’s learned to help people at whatever point they’re on along the process and curve of technology. “I try to explain to everybody: Technology isn’t something you know; it’s a process,” Fejedelem said. “It’s just somewhere along the process. Congratulations, you learned more about the process today.” P
https://www.blender.org/ Blender is a free, open-source 3-D creation suite. It has a high-learning curve, but is a
https://www.gimp.org/ Want to have a way to edit digital images without having to pay for Photoshop? Gimp is a free, open-source alternative .
What’s next for libraries?
In the future, it might be common to see Austin Public Library and other libraries checking out more items that aren’t books. Austin Technology Librarian Jake Fejedelem said it’s becoming a trend for libraries to offer more specialized libraries. For example, he expects tool libraries to be a thing of the future. Austin’s library has a telescope project, which has been around since June. “You never see them because people check them out. They love them,” he said. Other libraries have tool libraries and an Ohio library even has an extensive collection of unique cake pans. Libraries will always have books and ebooks, but he said a lot of things fill in little gaps to promote enrichment and lifelong learning.
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Player files? Mp4? No problem.
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In his job as Austin’s technology librarian, Jake Fejedelem comes across many free tech options for residents that are often more affordable than options available for purchase. Here are his top recommendations for open-sourced — or free — software:
powerful tool for making animated films, or digital skins for video games.
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Open for help
Summerset Theatre co-Executive Director John Deyo points to a wall behind Frank W. Bridges Theatre with the names of many veterans of past Riverland and Summerset performances. BELOW: Deyo and co-Executive Director Randy Forster pose in the theater.
YEARS OF
Story and photos by Jason Schoonover
I
n a back area of Riverland Community College’s Frank W. Bridge’s Theatre, a cinder block wall chronicles some of Summerset Theatre’s 50 years of shows. Each block is painted for a show at the theater. “The whole wall is covered in shows,” said Summerset co-Executive Director John Deyo. Another wall highlights actors, directors and other theater people involved over the years. “It shows kind of how many people have been involved and how many shows we’ve done over the years,” Deyo said. Not only is Summerset celebrating 50 years with this summer’s season, but it’s spent all those years in the same
space at what’s now the Frank W. Bridges Theatre of Riverland Community College, something Deyo and co-Executive Director Randy Forster say is not common for a theater. “It started on that stage,” Deyo said.
Beginnings
Forster said the goal has always been to put on quality productions so area residents can enjoy theater without having to drive to a major metropolitan area and paying high prices to enjoy. And it offers local residents the chance to participate in the theater in some way. “It is one of the only outlets for local theater,” Deyo said. “Theater’s a great collaboration between musicians and
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Summerset’s 50th anniversary season ‘Peter and the Starcatcher’
June 14-18 “Peter and the Starcatcher” tells the story of how an orphan becomes Peter Pan. A young orphan and his mates are shipped off from Victorian England to a distant island ruled by the evil King Zarboff. They know nothing of the mysterious trunk in the captain’s cabin, which contains a precious, otherworldly cargo. At sea, the boys are discovered by a precocious young girl named Molly, a starcatcher-in-training who realizes that the trunk’s precious cargo is starstuff, a celestial substance so powerful that it must never fall into the wrong hands. When the ship is taken over by pirates — led by the fearsome Black Stache, a villain determined to claim the trunk and its treasure for his own — the journey becomes a thrilling adventure exploring the depths of greed and despair along with the bonds of friendship, duty and love.
‘On Golden Pond’
July 5-9 This is the love story of Ethel and Norman Thayer, who are returning to their summer home on Golden Pond for the 48th year. He is a retired professor, nearing 80, with heart palpitations and a failing memory. She is 10 years younger and the perfect foil for Norman; she delights in all the small things that have enriched and continue to enrich their long life together. They are visited by their divorced daughter and her dentist fiancé, who then go off to Europe, leaving his teenage son behind for the summer. The boy quickly becomes the “grandchild” the couple has longed for. As Norman revels in taking his ward fishing and thrusting good books at him, he also learns some lessons about modern teenage awareness — and slang — in return. Time, they know, is now against them, but the years have been good and, perhaps, another summer on Golden Pond still awaits them.
‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’
July 28-30, Aug. 2-5 Sweeney Todd, an unjustly exiled barber, returns to 19th century London, seeking vengeance against the lecherous judge who framed him and ravaged his young wife. The road to revenge leads Todd to Mrs. Lovett, a resourceful proprietress of a failing pie shop, above which, he opens a new barber practice. Mrs. Lovett’s luck sharply shifts when Todd’s thirst for blood inspires the integration of an ingredient into her meat pies that has the people of London lining up. And the carnage has only just begun! Featuring some of the most chilling music ever written for the stage, this masterpiece was awarded eight Tony Awards in 1979, including Best Musical. Sweeney Todd has become a success that has thrilled, shocked, awed and delighted.
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Season passes available for $45.
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Deyo and Forster. performers and dancers and just a lot of technical people. It takes a lot “I don’t think there’s been a lot of leadership change over the years,” of different people from a lot of different disciplines to bring a show Deyo said. together. And Summerset is one of your only opportunities in Austin to Forster noted theater is often very different from what people do in do that.” their daily lives at work, and it brings a sense of community and camaWhile many community theaters stage shows year-round, Sumraderie. merset only performs in summer. A big part of that is its close ties to “You’re in a small space for 30 or 40 days together for hours at a time Riverland Community College’s theater department. The two theaters and you’re being silly and you have no choice but to break down those are staged in the same space and often feature many of the same perbarriers and become close,” Deyo said. formers. And Forster noted it’s to create this special thing at the end. That can often squeeze the theater’s time frame into a smaller space. Forster said his favorite show was “The Thirty-Nine Steps” because it That can form challenges, especially in early summer when Riverland was a fast-paced murder mystery that borders on slapstick. theater and schools are closing out their year. It’s a murder mystery done by four people really fast in Monty PySummerset Theatre formed in 1966 when a group of students apthon-like silliness. proached Austin State Junior College Theater Director Frank Bridges Deyo said his early favorite was “Anything Goes,” a big Broadway about starting a summer theater program, according to Penny Kinney, musical in which he was lucky enough to play one of two romantic leads who took part in the second year of the theater and several subsequent alongside his wife, Lisa. Deyo actually met Lisa in “Godspell” in Riveryears. land’s theater program. His sister and best friend and other friends were Some of those early years also staged four shows in a repertory theater where they staged shows on a rotation and had multiple shows go- also in that show. In his more recent shows, “I do, I do,” featuring just him and Kaye ing at the same time. Kinney remembers getting done with one perforPerry was the hardest show he’s done, but he said it was very fulfilling. mance and then having rehearsals for a different show later that night. The story follows a couple’s whole life. “It was a big challenge, but prob“That’s where we spent out days,” she recalled ably one of the most enjoyable things I’ve gotten to work on,” he said of Kinney, whose husband, Steve, and brother-in-law, Michael, also the show directed by Dahlquist. participated in Summerset, recalled how students did most everything in the early days. “We learned how to do theater on a ‘We’re thriving’ shoestring,” she said. For year 50, many felt like SumFor a few years, they also staged “Winmerset should stage only greatest terset” shows between Christmas and hits; however, the board opted to do New Year’s between Riverland plays and newer shows that would appeal to when people were home for winter break. audiences. One recurring joke, according to Deyo, Summerset will stage “Peter and is the theater accomplished a lot in the the Starcatcher,” “On Golden Pond” early days and staged big, beautiful proand “Sweeney Todd.” ductions that very well could have been “Peter and the Starcatcher” will beyond their means because they didn’t be the most family-friendly show of know any better. the season as it tells the origin story of “They just didn’t know you shouldn’t Peter Pan. be able to do this, so they did; they did it Despite being a well-known show, and they kept doing it over and over,” he “Sweeney Todd” has never been persaid. formed by Riverland or Summerset, Kinney referenced many people vital to Summerset Theatre co-Executive Director Randy Forster as Deyo said it was often seen as too looks through some of the binders containing programs and keeping Summerset going, like Bridges much because it’s a somewhat violent other materials from some of Summerset’s 50 years of shows. show. While the play follows a killer, and David Dahlquist, who she estimated probably participated in over 100 shows. the stage version is often much more “When I think of Summerset, I think of him,” she said. stylized, Deyo says. But as the theater turns 50, Kinney said she probably wouldn’t have “We’re very excited about the season,” Deyo said. “I think the audipredicted Summerset lasting 50 years. ences will enjoy [it].” “It’s pretty neat that it’s lasted that long,” she said. This season will be a bit different, with the musical — “Sweeney But she said a few key elements have kept it going. For starters, good Todd” — coming at the end of the season instead of the start. In recent shows are a key, but she also credited the community for supporting it. years, Summerset has faced challenges because the summer season While she isn’t involved in shows anymore, she anticipated she’ll likely starts almost after the school season, and the school has just had their help with some of the historical background for the 50th season, and final concert or stage production. Many people don’t want to turn she’ll continue going to shows. around and start another show right away. “I’ll always be a theater-goer out there,” she said. “You end up losing a lot of potential players that just say, ‘I can’t,’” Deyo said. But that’s not the only challenge. Deyo notes community theater was ‘You do your part’ much easier to do in the early years of Summerset. Now, the theater has Like so many others involved in Summerset, Deyo simply caught the to compete for community attention and participation against many theater bug and couldn’t shake it. other forms of entertainment. That’s why he says he’s stayed involved. “It’s harder to get a crowd to come out and see a play,” Deyo said, “My intent was never to run this organization, but at some point you feel a certain obligation to keep it rolling in the right direction, so you do joking he could stay home and watch Netflix in his pajamas. People are also busier today, so it’s often harder to get commitments your part,” Deyo said. from cast and musicians. Deyo grew up in Austin and his first Summerset production was in “But we’re still doing it today and we’re thriving,” Deyo said. “The 1978, and he’s done pretty much every job except costuming and chocoffers are bursting and the crowds are coming out, so we’re still doing reography. it even though it’s harder. And that says something about the firm founHe joined the board in 2014. dation that they built a lot of years ago.” Forster first got involved in Summerset when he moved to Austin in But Deyo, Forster and many others involved are proud of Summer2003 and auditioned for a role in his favorite show, “Our Town.” He’d set’s legacy, especially since it’s spend 50 years in the same theater later join the board in 2007. Despite lasting 50 years, Summerset has only had a handful of execu- space. “It’s just phenomenal to think of that legacy,” Forster said. P tive directors: Bridges, Steve Kinney, Jerry Girton, Lindsey Williams, and
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Dedicated to serve Dave Pike has worn many hats from sheriff’s deputy to Brownsdale mayor all in an effort to contribute to his community Story and photo by Eric Johnson Mower County Sheriff’s Deputy Dave Pike is a man of many hats and many responsibilities, which goes well with his sense of community. A Brownsdale native and resident of over 40 years, Pike has served three different city agencies: the Brownsdale Fire Department, the Brownsdale City Council and the city of Brownsdale as mayor. And, of course, you can’t forget Riverland Community College. “I teach at the college too,” Pike said, laughing. “I’ve been friends with Brian [Staska] for a long time and it’s like, ‘Yeah, I would be interested.’ Kind of decided I like teaching.” It’s a great example of how Pike has gotten involved in many different areas over the years. One thing leads to another and then another and then another. “It’s a series of circumstances,” Pike said. “I didn’t get out thinking, ‘I’m going to do this, I want to run the town, I can do this.’” But after following many opportunities, Pike said it became easier to try such things. —Dave Pike “You know what you’re doing, you’re comfortable and then something else comes up and you go, ‘I’ll try that,’” he said. Pike has always been drawn to law enforcement. In 1991, he began his career as a parttime Brownsdale officer. During that time, he also began working with Fillmore County before becoming a deputy with Mower County in 1995. “I would do anything for money back then,” Pike joked. “It’s called grooming to try and get yourself a job.” While with the Mower County Sheriff’s Office, Pike took on more and more duties. He’s
“There was openings to where I saw I could provide some insight to some things that were transpiring ...’
currently the head of the Regional Radio Board and is responsible for programming and trouble-shooting the 400 radios county employees utilize. That extends to being a troubleshooter of sorts for the computers and technical issues that may pop up. “I’m kind of the middleman that knows how to complain about things and coordinate things to get fixed,” Pike explained. He also is responsible for coordinating the reserve programs for the county and Austin Police Department. Reserve volunteers often can be seen working at various events. Pike joined the Brownsdale Fire Department in 1999 and then five years later became its chief. It turned out to be symbiotic relationship with his duties as deputy, and it was an opportunity to advance up the professional ladder. “It started out as stepping stones where you try to put yourself in a position to first further your career and that kind of spins on you,” Pike said. “I became fire chief thinking it would help my chances of being promoted in the sheriff’s office by being a leader, being able to manage people and finances and it worked out.” “It ends up benefiting the fire department with the things I know through the sheriff’s office,” he added. Working as a Mower deputy and as Brownsdale’s fire chief may at first seem like a con-
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Dave Pike has worn many hats of public service in his time. He’s currently a Mower County Sheriff’s deputy and Brownsdale fire chief as well as serving two terms as mayor and before that several years on the city council.
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flict, but Pike and a few other people in the county do the same thing, and it makes for a unique situation in that he’s allowed to do both jobs. The type of call also factors into which hat he’ll wear if there’s ever overlap. “It depends on the call,” Pike said. “If it’s a simple medical call I would respond as a patrol officer, but if it’s a major type of fire where it’s going to be an extended period, I’ll actually use vacation, go off duty, take care of those duties and come back. [Sheriff] Terese [Amazi] has been real good about letting us do that.” Pike is also confident with the firefighters on the Brownsdale department and their ability to get a job done. “A lot of times there is enough people here and I trust what they are doing,” Pike said. “They don’t need me for everything. They can take care of themselves and I can go about my regular stuff.” Like his job as a deputy and fire chief, Pike’s transition into civil service at a community level was much of the same. He saw he could help. “There were openings to where I saw I could provide some insight to some things that were transpiring, and I offered my two cents and just kind of worked my way up as people got off the council,” Pike said. “I kind of became the most senior member. The mayor spot came open, and it just kind of was a natural progression that I could step into and filled the role for a couple years, make my contribution.” All of this works with each area and makes Pike better at doing not just one job but several. “It definitely gives you insight into finances, public safety, public service,” Pike said. “Things that need to be done to have a comfortable public.” P
Scouting Purpose WITH
Rose Creek man has helped his troop produce 18 Eagle Scouts Story by Rocky Hulne | Photos by Eric Johnson
Adams Boy Scout Troop Leader Wendell Sprung gets a meeting started at Little Cedar Lutheran Church in Adams.
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When it comes to giving back to the community and acting in an honorable manner, you can’t do much better than becoming an Eagle Scout. In Adams and Rose Creek, one Scoutmaster has done his part to make sure there are plenty of Eagle Scouts being sent out into the working world. Wendell Sprung of Rose Creek has a had a huge impact on many youths in the Adams and Rose Creek area over the past 13 years. Ever since 2003, Sprung has been the head of the Adams Boy Scouts, which has produced 18 Eagle Scouts over that time. To become an Eagle Scout, Scouts must earn 21 merit badges, including first aid, citizen in the Nation, emergency preparedness and camping. Sprung’s Scouts have done some big projects over the years to earn the Eagle Scout designation, including putting up a new bench in a cemetery, putting up new flag poles and finger printing local elementary students. Those badges have shown the Scouts the rewards of putting in time and effort to create a positive impact. “Eagle Scout is a great accomplishment and it’s great for the boys,” Sprung said. “They don’t realize at that point [when they get it] how much it’s going to help them in the future. Every employer I talk to says when they see Eagle Scout on a resume, they move them to the top of the list of applicants. I foresee these Eagle Scouts being Scout leaders someday and I won’t have to be doing it at 80.” Clayton Luthe is nearing the completion of his Eagle Scout badge under Sprung. He’s learned a lot as he’s pursued the badge. “I’m almost there. I’m going for it,” Luthe said. “I’ve asked the other Eagle Scouts for their advice. There’s a lot of labor that goes into it and not everybody gets it. You get to learn a lot of new skills and you can use that to your advantage in life. The knots really help you because if you’re out working somewhere and you need to tie something, you know exactly what knot to use.” Luthe said that it’s been fun to work with Sprung over the years. “Wendell knows what he’s talking about. We gain a lot of knowledge here,” he said. Sprung has kept busy over the summers with the Scouts and has made various trips with them. He’s taken the Scouts to the air show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, canoe trips, summer camps and white water rafting over the years. Last summer, he helped four Scouts complete a 125-mile challenge of biking and canoeing. “It’s fun to be with the boys. I don’t think that I’m almost 60 when I’m with the boys and they have fun. The boys are good to work with,” Sprung said. “It teaches them leadership and it keeps them out of trouble. We have lots of opportunities for them.” Sprung said his Scouts learn how to work together as they’ll pair up on required badges and work together. He also makes sure they are aware of the community and are giving back to it. One of the highlights the Scouts do is they read the poem “In Flander’s Field” on Memorial Day after they march in the parade, and they’ve also gone around and cleaned up ditches. Sprung recognizes those that have worked with him over the years for helping to keep Scouts going in Adams. “I give a lot of credit to my Scoutmasters who have worked with me over the years. They’ve been a big help to me,” he said. P
Wendell Sprung leads the Adams Boy Scouts in the Scout’s Pledge.
Eagle scout requirements 1. Be active in your troop, team, crew or ship for a period of at least six months after you have achieved the rank of Life Scout. 2. Demonstrate that you live by the principles of the Scout Oath and Scout Law in your daily life. List on your Eagle Scout Rank Application the names of the individuals who know you personally and would be willing to provide a recommendation on your behalf, including parents/ guardians, religious, educational, and employer references. 3. Earn a total of 21 merit badges. —Source: Boy Scouts of America.
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Adams/Rose Creek Boy Scouts William Staples, from left, Clayton Luethe, Cole Sheely, Wendell Sprung, Noah Milks, Roman Olson, Brant Bissen and Stirling Hart.
Noah Kremin looks up after establishing a shot for a movie he’s making using friends and classmates from Austin High School as actors.
The study of film Austin senior makes movie using AHS students as cast members By Rocky Hulne | Photos by Eric Johnson When it comes to film studies, Austin senior Noah Kremin is right in his element. Now he’s showing some of his friends and classmates a thing or two of what it takes to make it in the cinema world. Kremin is planning on attending film school next school year and to do so he had to make a film for his resume. He has interest in attending college in California, Chicago or at DePaul University — his number one choice. Kremin and his friends had always talked about making a movie and they figured now was the right time to do it. “I need to have a work that I could put on my resume when I apply to college,” Kremin said. “That made me really motivated to start a movie and cast some actors.” Kremin’s movie is titled “Among the Current” and it is a drama and thriller that shows the darker side of high school,
Kremin films his movie on a cell phone.
while covering the humanity in children and adults. Kremin didn’t write a concrete script for the film, as he wants there to be room for improvisation. “I want it to progress over real time. It probably will go over some events,” Kremin said. “I want it to look as real as possible.” The cast of the film is made up of 15 actors and 10 to 20 extras. Most involved in the film are either friends or acquaintances of Kremin’s. Spencer Lee, an Austin senior, said it’s exciting to be part of a project that was completely independent of teachers and guidelines. “It doesn’t feel like a school project because there’s no guidelines, but working with someone as creative as Noah is, I’m excited to see how it turns out,” Lee said.
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Austin senior Evan Horstmann had never thought about acting until he heard about the movie. Now he’s excited to see what goes behind making a movie. “Noah called me up and asked if I wanted to play the lead role in a movie he’s making and I was like, ‘Sure, it sounds fun,’” Horstmann said. “I’ve never done anything like this before. It’s pretty intense.” Kremin was hoping to give the film a local touch as he was able to film in locations around Austin. The crew also had to be wary of when and where to film, as many of the cast members were busy with school. “We film as we progress,” Kremin said. “It can be a struggle with sports and kids making college visits.” Kremin has always been inspired by movies, but his biggest inspiration came from “The Place Beyond the Pines,” a 2012 film directed by Derek Cianfrance. “I love the cinematography in it and the acting is superb,” Kremin said. “It’s really inspiring and it has one of my favorite directors [in Cianfrance]. I’ve actually talked to him on the phone before and he gave me some really good pointers.” As Kremin pursues a film career, he’s also drummed up a passion for film in the friends who have helped make the movie. Sam Espelan said that he was quickly drawn into the process. “At first I kind of wanted to just help out, but after the first practice shoot I gained a lot more interest in movies and it’s something that grew on me and I became more interested in acting,” Espelan said. P
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Cory Waller, from right, Alex Ciola, Sam Esplan and Jayden Erie walk past Kremin during a scene shot in the basement of a downtown business. RIGHT: Kremin with his cast of players including Erie, from left, Spencer Lee, Ciola, Waller and Esplan.
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The Austin Daily Herald looks at 30 men and women under age 40 who are helping shape our community, starting with Austin Police Department Sgt. Kim Lenz.
30 Under 40
Kim Lenz: From teacher to cop
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By Deb Nicklay
30 under 40
By her own admission, Kim Lenz had never considered a career in law enforcement when she was just heading out of high school. In fact, the 35-year-old Austin police sergeant thought she was more suited to be teacher. “I’m actually a pretty reserved person,” she said. She started her education study at Winona State University, intent on becoming an elementary education teacher. As her studies continued, though, it just didn’t feel right. So she switched her degree path and decided to go into corrections instead. She earned her degree and graduated in corrections with a minor in psychology. But eventually, “I think I burned out,” she said of her work. “I didn’t feel I could do a lot for the juveniles I saw; but in law enforcement, I thought, ‘Maybe I could do this.’” “I had taken a ride-a-long” when she first went into corrections and “that did it,” she said. She earned a law enforcement degree at Minnesota State University Mankato and was trained and certified at the police academy in Alexandria. She joined the Austin Police Force 10 years ago and has never looked back. “I am proud of our department; I am proud of the people I work with,” she said. Her gender, as the third woman to be hired as a law enforcement officer in Austin, she added, never played a role in how she has been treated. “I’ve never felt, not once, that I was treated differently,” she said. The daughter of New Prague farmers, she is the middle child among two brothers and a sister. She was a tomboy, she said, and played basketball, softball and “her” sport, hockey, while in high school. In college, she was a member of the rugby team. There are no other relatives that entered the law enforcement field, but later, she gained a
Kimberly Lenz Q: What’s your favorite thing about the community? A: The community is growing and continually looking for ways to improve. Q: How do you see the community improving already and how can it do better? A: More activities for everyone ... supporting locally. Q: What have you learned about the Age: 35 community through Family: husyour job and groups? band, Matt A: The outpouring Lenz, and our support of the silent dog, Cash majority in regards to Job: Austin law enforcement has Police been amazing Department Q: What’s the best sergeant advice you’ve given or received? A: You can do whatever you set your mind to. Q: What’s a fun fact or story about you most of your co-workers don’t know? A: I’ll just keep that my little secret. Q: If you were on a deserted island, what books would you bring? A: Anything based on a true crime story. Q: What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you? A: There are WAY too many too choose from Q: What’s your No. 1 vice or guilty pleasure? A: Candy/Chocolate and, yes, there is a difference between candy and chocolate. Q: If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would buy? A: Travel. Q: What would be on your bucket list? A: Travel the world.
brother-in-law who today is a detective in Burnsville. She knew no one in Austin when she arrived, but quickly made friends and found support. She went through two weeks of inhouse training before she began 11 weeks of field training.
She clearly recalls her first “hands-on” — a call in which she had to interact with a suspect. “It was a huge awakening,” she said, “because I froze.” Her field training officer put it to her in a no-nonsense way — “You get involved or you don’t” — and if you don’t, you may not have the makings of a cop. “I thought to myself, ‘Well, you’re in the big leagues now,’ “ she said with a chuckle. “I had to work to get out of my shell.” From those tentative beginnings, Lenz got going and built a good reputation with her fellow officers, said Capt. Dave McKichan. “You couldn’t ask for a better role model for those who want to enter law enforcement,” he said, adding that not only did she earn the respect of her fellow officers, she has sought out promotions and became the first female on the Special Incident Response Team (SIRT). Becoming a sergeant brought a new set of challenges — overseeing and helping train other officers, while still being able to go on patrol. Among her duties is being the evening shift patrol supervisor. “My initial reaction was, ‘Oh my God, what did I do,’” she said with a laugh. She embraced the job, however, and finds the work the best of all worlds. “I like the activity” of patrol work and wouldn’t be particularly happy, she added, being a detective. That “keeps you at a desk a lot, and that’s not me.” She also acts as a field training officer, community service officer program coordinator and internship program coordinator, among other duties. Being a member of the SIRT team is fulfilling too. After extensive training — which includes once-a-month trainings — she became part of a special team of law enforcement that responds to high-risk situations. On average, she said, the team is called 1015 times a year. Each member is expected to be trained in all roles, but members tend to gravitate toward particular ones. Lenz is often a shield,
who carries the physical shield, fronting others behind her when entering a situation to clear a structure, or face a suspect. She is fortunate to be married to a husband who understands better than most the risks and challenges of her job. Matt Lenz is a firefighter and paramedic who is no stranger to dangerous situations. “He is very supportive,” she said, adding “even before we started dating, I could see he was a strong guy.” Lenz admits that all officers have to decompress at the end of a particularly tough shift. She finds, like a lot of cops, that domestic calls can be among the toughest, especially when there are children involved. “And if a child is hurt, that’s the worst for me,” she said. To return to the job after a bad day, “you have to be mentally prepared.” She talks to her husband, her friends, listens to music and works out to keep her balance. But when she was asked about the best part of her job, the phrase “my co-workers” came out immediately. “I have to say, I like everyone that I work with — I really do,” she said. Police Chief Brian Krueger said the feeling is mutual. Lenz, he said, adds much to the department. “Energy, a great attitude; she is a go-getter,” he said. “She is one of our best officers.” He admitted that when you first meet Lenz, she seems quiet and reserved. “But something happens when she puts on that uniform,” Krueger said, adding that she is ready to work and fills a leadership role with confidence. She worked hard for her new position as sergeant, he said. “Her work ethic is great, her attitude and demeanor” — it all makes her an “excellent role model for the other officers,” he said. “I never really thought I’d be where I am today,” she mused. “But you keep pushing yourself. I don’t only want to be a good cop for the department, but for myself too. And I like the challenge.” P
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Greg Siems
Q: What’s your favorite 30 under 40 thing about the community? A: That everyone is so incredibly friendly. As a northern European that spent seven years on the east coast before coming to Minnesota, I’m not used to it, but I like it. Q: How do you see the community improving already and how can it do better? A: I wouldn’t mind some more restaurants. Q: What have you learned about the community through your job and groups? A: Working at The Institute, I’m constantly overwhelmed by the massive support from the communiA: Keyser Soze. ty. It makes me proud to be Q: What’s the most embarrassing a scientist and motivates me to work thing that’s ever hapharder. pened to you? Q: What’s the best Age: 38 A: Too many things advice you’ve given or Family: dog, Captain … I once stained an received? Rhett Butler; cats, entire lab green. A: Don’t work so Pickles and KenQ: What’s your No. 1 hard! :) tucky; and my parvice or guilty pleasure? Q: What’s a fun fact ents, sibling, niece A: Watching “Hoardor story about you and nephew back ers” while eating most of your co-workhome in Sweden. Job: assistant procandy. ers don’t know? fessor at The Hormel Q: If you won the A: I’m really a rockInstitute lottery, what’s the first star-writer-mermaid thing you would buy? trapped in a scientist’s A: I would take my body. family on an vacation Q: If you were on a somewhere warm, pay off veryone’s deserted island, what books would debt and for whatever’s left ver, you bring? build a sauna in my basement. A: The entire “Hitchhiker’s Guide Q: What would be on your bucket to the Galaxy” series. Q: If you could have starred in one list? A: I want to see the Grand Canyon movie or TV show, what character and walk the Inca trail. would you be?
Austin Daily Herald
I wouldn’t trade that Q: What community 30 under 40 experience for anything. groups are you involved Learning a new language with? is probably the quickest A: City Planning Comand most effective way to mission, the United Way develop understanding of Mower County, Austin and empathy for others. Congregational UCC, Q: If you were on a deamong many others Q: What’s your favorite serted island, what books thing about the commuwould you bring? A: “Shoeless Joe” by nity? W.P Kinsella, “Down A: The people. I’m a reland Out in Paris and atively recent transplant London” by George to Austin, and every day Orwell, “Living Buddha, feels more like home. Living Christ” by Thich Q: How do you see the Nhat Hanh. community improving Q: If you could have already and how can it do starred in one movie or better? TV show, what character A: We’ve seen a ton would you be? of investment in Austin A: Dr. House over the last few years, from “House.” probably much more than Q: What’s the most would be expected for a embarrassing thing that’s community of our size. We have a lot of assets to build on, and my hope ever happened to you? A: At one point during my first cross-country is that we continue to create opportunities for skiing experience, I failed to stop and ran into people of all backgrounds and income levels, a stranger, managing to get our skis and legs especially when it comes to education and tangled for an awkward amount of small business. time. Q: What have you learned about Age: 26 Q: What’s your No. 1 vice or guilty the community through your job and Family: wife, pleasure? groups? Mandie A: I’m an avid sports card collecA: Too many things to count or deJob: director of scribe. I’m always impressed by how tor. It’s something I was hooked on Vision 2020 many great leaders we have in town as a kid and have recently rediscovand how many people are willing to ered. My collection didn’t have a lot put in the time and effort to make of focus back then, but now I like to Austin a better place for all of us. have anything related to Minnesota’s teams or Q: What’s the best advice you’ve given or specific players I’m interested in. received? Q: If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing A: “Whether you think you can or think you you would buy? can’t, you’re right.” A: A nice acreage with lots of trees and room Q: What’s a fun fact or story about you most of for a big garden. your co-workers don’t know? Q: What would be on your bucket list? A: I studied Russian in college and spent A: Complete the “triple crown” of hiking, visit one summer abroad in Kazan, Russia. I can’t every Major League Baseball stadium, and write say much beyond the basic phrases now, but and publish a book.
Q: What community groups are you involved with? A: Leadership in local Boy Scouts of America troop, youth leader in Austin congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Austin High School youth mentoring. Q: What’s your favorite thing about the community? A: My favorite thing about Austin is that everything is within biking distance. In fact, I ride a bicycle to work everyday, even in the winter. Q: How do you see the community improving already and how can it do better? A: I’ve seen the accomplishments of the Vision 2020 groups throughout the city with the new dome, new bike trails, replacing the old mall, downtown events, and soon a new rec center. I think our community could be more inclusive of new Austin residents who come from Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central America to work in our town. Q: What have you learned about the community through your job and groups? A: Austin is home to some of the hardest working, down-to-earth people in the country. The community is diverse, with people from all over the world, but it seems everyone shares the same, “get the job done, even when it’s cold” kind of attitude. Q: What community groups are you involved with? A: Chairman of the Austin Human Rights Commission, APEX Austin, and Austin Aspires Kindergarten Readiness Taskforce. Q: What’s your favorite thing about Age: 33 the community? Family: wife, A: You can feel like Katie, and two you’re a true part of daughters, Ava, the community and 4, and Olivia, 1. can make a genuine Job: senior difference. brand manager Q: How do you see for Hormel the community imFoods Corp. proving already and
how can it do better? A: We’ve made great strides in embracing our rapidly changing demographics. We have a huge opportunity to fully leverage our diversity and talent to unleash Austin’s full potential. Q: What have you learned about the community through your job and groups? A: How many smart and energetic people we have who are committed to making Austin a great place to live. Q: What’s the best advice you’ve given or received? A: It’s about what you get done, not what you talk about doing. Q: What’s a fun fact or story about you most of your co-workers don’t know? A: I won three state debate team titles (two as coach and one as student). Q: If you were on a deserted island, what books would you bring? A: Robert A. Caro’s “The Years of Lyndon Johnson” series, “Competitive Advantage” by Michael Porter, “Where the Red Fern Grows,” and any Vince Flynn or John Sandford novel.
30 under 40
Jeremy Zavoral
Q: What’s the best advice you’ve given or received? A: Early in our marriage I was really stressed about something and my wife said, “Don’t worry, be happy.” Simple as that: Don’t worry about things you can’t control, have a positive
30 under 40
Jason Baskin
Q: If you could have starred in one movie or TV show, what character would you be? A: Jerry Seinfeld. I can recall more lines from that show than is probably healthy ... though my wife tells me I’m not that funny. Q: What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you? A: Most of elementary school. Q: What’s your No. 1 vice or guilty pleasure? A: McDonald’s. Q: If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would buy? A: Minnesota Twins; we’d finally spend some money on pitching Q: What would be on your bucket list? A: Taking our girls to Disney World.
attitude and things tend to turn out better than and suddenly I felt a drop of saliva roll out of my bottom lip and it made a direct hit on the you think. That has become our family motto projector! Horrified, I watched it turn into a today. Q: What’s a fun fact or story about you most small puddle, distorting the ink on the slide. The whole class shrieked with laughter as I of your co-workers don’t know? turned around to see the small puddle was A: I love to skydive and I love to scuba being projected to the whole class as a 3-by-3dive, but I will never jump off a high di e at a foot lake of spit. I turned bright swimming pool. I’m terrified red and I quickly tried to wipe of doing a belly flop from that Age: 33 it clean with my shirt sleeve, height. Family: wife, SarahLonly to smear the entire slide Q: If you were on a deserted ynn, and sons, Tanner, more. I tried to laugh it off wit island, what books would you 5, and Dallin, 3. my classmates, but yeah, I still bring? Job: Hormel Foods cringe with embarrassment A: Encyclopedia Britannica Corp. brand manager whenever I see an old overhead — you know, the printed verfor Hormel Natural projector. sion of Wikipedia, scriptures, Choice Lunchmeat Q: What’s your No. 1 vice or “How to Survive on a Deserted guilty pleasure? Island.” A: Lately it’s dark chocolate. Q: If you could have starred in one movie or TV show, what character would I found a closeout sale at Hy-Vee for bars of Godiva 72 percent dark chocolate and I bought you be? all 43 of them. Is that not normal? A: Happy Gilmore. That guy had everything: Q: If you won the lottery, what’s the first family, wealth, friends, girl and an incredible thing you would buy? golf game. A: I’d buy a diversified, low fee, stock market Q: What’s the most embarrassing thing index fund and live off the annual in erest for that’s ever happened to you? the rest of my life. A: I was asked to come solve a math Q: What would be on your bucket list? problem on the overhead projector in class. A: I’m looking forward to going on vacation So, using a green marker on the transparency to the moon in a few decades. slide, I talked the class through the numbers Q: What community groups are you involved with? A: ACCESS Scholarship Committee. Q: What’s your favorite thing about the community? A: I love the interAge: 26 personal Family: Margo Bissen relation(mom), Dan Bissen ships I (dad), Ray (Amy) share with Tony, and Tim (Kamany inditie) Bissen (brothers viduals in and their wives,) the city of Meigan (Kyle) Rath Austin. It is and Molly Bissen a wonder(sisters and their ful feeling husbands,) Gillian to run into and Natalie Rath and people Zach, Averi, and Isaac I know Bissen (nieces and in the nephews) commuJob: sixth-eighth nity on a grade vocal music daily basis teacher and share
brief, but meaningful conversations. I love that “small town charm.” Q: How do you see the community improving already and how can it do better? A: I would love to see more events and community groups that celebrate the beautiful diversity in our world. Q: What’s the best advice you’ve given or received? A: “If equal affection cannot be, let the more loving be me.” My high school government and economics teacher Mr. Rayce Hardy had that posted on his
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Mary Bissen
classroom door and the message has stuck with me. Q: If you were on a deserted island, what books would you bring? A: The “Harry Potter” series. Q: If you could have starred in one movie or TV show, what character would you be? A: I would want to be Chandler Bing from “Friends.” Or Olivia Benson from “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.” Q: If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would buy? A: Whatever I’d need to do to get a ticket to the Academy Awards. Q: What would be on your bucket list? A: Travel to every one of the 50 states.
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Q: What have you learned about the community through your job and groups? A: I’ve learned that everyone has a story, and that we have to listen to it in order to be effective and supportive community members.
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Jake Solberg
Q: What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you? A: Falling down on the ice when I was putting nets out during a hockey game when I was in college. Big crowd at a high school game. Q: What’s your number one vice or guilty pleasure? A: Oatmeal Cream Pies Q: If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would buy? A: I would buy a new boat, four-wheeler, and ice castle all at once. Q: What would be on your bucket list? A: A trip to Europe with my wife.
Q: What community groups are you involved with? A: Vision 2020 Destination Downtown, Downtown Association, Harvest Fest, TEDx, Leadership Austin. Q: What’s your favorite thing about the community? A: The group of volAge: 29 unteers and supportFamily: not marers that continue to ried. move Austin forward. Job: operations Q: How do you see manager at the Austhe community imtin Area Commisproving already and sion for the Arts how can it do better? A: Austin has already made great strides in supporting the Arts and its diversity but it would be awesome to integrate all of our current cultures into the existing art programs and project. Q: What have you learned about the community through your job and groups? A: There must be something in the water because we have a large group of talented people that come from Austin whether they be musicians, authors, artists or dancers. Q: What’s the best advice you’ve given or received? A: When they go low, we go high. Q: What’s a fun fact or story about you most of your co-workers don’t know? A: I once saw Barbara Walters on an airplane and I screamed Baba Wawa! She smiled. Q: If you were on a deserted island, what books would you bring? A: “The Princess Bride,” “The Odyssey,” and the “His Dark Materials” trilogy (“The Golden Compass,” “The Subtle Knife” and “The Amber
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Kelsey Ritchie
Spyglass.”) Q: If you could have starred in one movie or TV show, what character would you be? A: Holly Golightly from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” Q: What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you? A: I broke my own nose .. twice. Q: What’s your No. 1 vice or guilty pleasure? A: McDonald’s Coke. Q: If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would buy? A: A bunch of houses in one neighborhood so all my friends could be closer to each other. Q: What would be on your bucket list? A: Pet a tiger and tickle its toes.
Progress 2017
Gema AlvaradoGuerrero
Q: If you could have starred in one movie Q: What’s the best advice you’ve given or or TV show, what character would you be? received? A: I would love to be a helping detective on A: The best advice that I have ever received “Law & Order” — I can watch that show for was given to me almost a decade ago by a hours straight! good friend and role model of mine, Elsa Q: What’s the most embarrassing thing Soto. She told me that I am the architect of that’s ever happened to you? my life — it is within my power to A: There are way too many cultivate the life that I want not to count, but now I can barely only for me, but also my husband Age: 25 think of any — which just shows and kids. It has made me realize Family: husband, how resilient I am, right? I think that if I want something, I have to Erick, and our that one that tops the list is work hard and advocate for mytwo boys. realizing at bed time that I had self, and pick myself up and keep Job: Parenting been wearing my dress pants going when I encounter failure. Resource Center inside out and backwards all It’s something that I will always Inc. executive day, and by all day; I mean carry with me and also stress to director three meetings and one presmy boys. entation later. Q: What’s a fun fact or story Q: What’s your No. 1 vice or guilty pleasabout you most of your co-workers don’t ure? know? A: I think that my guilty pleasure is Netflix. I A: I love to travel, especially to Central can binge watch a show and finish it in days. America. I’ve been to Nicaragua and El SalQ: If you won the lottery, what’s the first vador, and the culture, food, and just overall thing you would buy? environment is so captivating! I can’t wait to A: If I won the lottery I’d totally pay to get hopefully go back some day. our room turned into the room from “Hey Q: If you were on a deserted island, what Arnold!” That has been my dream room for books would you bring? years- and Erick would get used to it eventuA: Oh man, the only books I currently read ally! are bedtime books to my kids like” Brown Q: What would be on your bucket list? Bear Brown Bear,” so to be able to read “Les A: To backpack through Europe with my Miserables” one more time would be fantashusband — I will get it done sometime! tic.
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Q: What community groups are you involved with? A: Austin Youth Hockey, Austin All Star Basketball Q: What’s your favorite thing about the community? A: The people Jake Solberg who I’ve Age: 31 met make Family: Wife and you feel two kids with a third comfortdue in May able, like Job: Recreation you’ve Supervisor for lived here Austin Park, Recreyour whole ation, and Forestry life. Department. Q: What have you learned about the community through your job and groups? A: I’ve learned that there is always something going on in the community. There are so many different types of associations, groups, etc. and all of them do a great job to provide this community with events, shows, etc. Q: What’s the best advice you’ve given or received? A: “You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.” — Wayne Gretzky Q: If you were on a deserted island, what books would you bring? A: None — I don’t like to read if I don’t have to. Q: If you could have starred in one movie or TV show, what character would you be? A: Mel Gibson in the movie “The Patriot.”
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Austin Daily Herald
Q: What community groups are you involved with? A: Blandin Leadership Foundation, Austin Aspires, APEX Austin, Austin Area Drug Task Force and Rotary International Q: What’s your favorite thing about the community? A: My favorite thing about the community is the people in it. Having a vibrant community doesn’t just happen. It takes passionate individuals to make Austin the quaint and charming town that it is. It is also a perfect place to raise children. The school district is very attentive to student needs, and I love the different festivals held throughout the year. There is always something to do with the family! Q: How do you see the community improving already and how can it do better? A: If there is something that I am passionate about, its kids and providing for their well-being. I love the fact that there are people that feel just as passionate about them as I do, and that the community is continually looking for ways to help these tykes reach their full potential by removing as many barriers as possible. Hearing conversations take place about equity — that is what makes getting up and going to work worthwhile every day. What can we do to make it better? Wait- because there is so much good happening already.
Q: What community groups are you involved with? A: Being active within your community is very important, especially if you call this community your “home”. I also view community involvement differently, because I have a hard time focusing on “one” area. I also have a hard time saying no when it comes to volunteering. Being a mother, wife and teacher, I value the importance of raising our youth to be positive citizens and role models. I encourage kids to always choose kindness and giving to others. My involvement in my community is just that: encouraging our youth to continually be involved. Whether it is ringing bells for the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign, volunteering to help a walk which raises awareness for an important cause, volunteering at church, teaching extra classes, helping friends in need, cleaning up the parks, etc … Being a positive role model to our youth and encouraging my own children and the children I teach to always choose kindness is how I strive to remain active and involved within my community. Q: What’s your favorite thing about the community? A: I grew up in the Twin Cities, but even having everything at my fingertips; however, I wasn’t really sure who I was or where I belonged. I moved to Austin after being hired at Woodson Kindergarten Center in 2007. The small town feel and closeness this community offers quickly captivated my inner self and I realized this was where I belonged. I met my husband here. We have brought three beautiful and talented children into this world. We have gained irreplaceable friendships with so many other families who share the same love for this community. Due to the size of Austin, and the support and involvement from so many, I have felt it is extremely easy to become involved in the lives of others, impacting the growth of our community and the positive impact we can leave for future generations. Q: How do you see the community improving already and how can it do better? A: Having lived here for almost ten years now, I have seen many changes in Austin. The most heartbreaking loss to our community, in my opinion, was losing our beloved … Target. On a serious note, when Vision 2020 was implemented, and so many members of our community spoke out about changes they’d like to see, I recall Vision 2020 wanting to select a couple topics to really focus on and implement. Over these past years, I feel more and more items are being “checked” off the lis . Bike paths have been popping up all over the town, providing safe alternatives for individuals to get up, get out, and get moving. Roadways are constantly being fixed for safety. Small things like seeing ice rinks opening up again, warming houses in the winter, Little Lending Libraries appear-
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Jorge D. Jimenez
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Cori Lynae McRae
ing all over our neighborhoods-encouraging reading. Our local library having so many motivating reading clubs. I could go on and on about the good things in Austin. I love going back to my hometown and being able to brag about the wonderful things happening here, especially for our youth. From reading, the arts, musicals and concerts, updated playgrounds, higher education, successful Gifted and Talented programming for our advanced learners and our successful sports teams (have you been to a girls or boys basketball game yet this year!?!). I am proud to call Austin my home and I hope to see our community continually pull together to stay focused on our goal of continually improving what we have and providing what we can to its members. Q: What have you learned about the community through your job and groups? A: One can never stop learning when being involved! I have been teaching in Austin for 10 years now. Each year I feel I am making my mark on the students I teach. Each year I feel I am able to dig a little deeper into their hearts to help instill community involvement and showing kindness. Every year I try to provide different opportunities for my students, but this year has been something else. This year has been special to me. I have a class who is addicted to giving. Their hearts are exploding with kindness and their Q: What’s your favorite thing about the community? A: I like the unity because of the smaller town feeling were everyone knows who you are. I like the fact that there is a variety of activities, art, and entertainment that Austin provides. Q: How do you see the community improving already and how can it do better? A: I see a lot of group events going on that raise awareness about issue happening in Austin. A better way the community is beginning to become better is by educating the public by bringing awareness about the issues that need to be addressed in the community and they are bringing the issues in social media and showing others all of the good things people and groups have been doing. Q: What have you learned about the community through your job and groups? A: I’ve learned that positive relationships with the community require police to be active participants with community groups. It can
would you bring? minds are going a thousand different directions continually trying to put themselves out there, becoming A: “The Five People You Meet in Heaven” by Mitch involved, helping others and in the end, helping them- Albom, “Seven Habits of Highly Successful People” selves. I have learned to make the time. To be present. by Stephen Covey, “The Five Love Languages” and/ To see what is in front of me. There is so much love or “The Five Love Languages of Children” by Gary and kindness everywhere you go. The most imporChapman, “The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Chapman tant thing I have learned through teaching is how and “The Notebook” by Nicholas Sparks. absorbent kids are. We show them how to become Q: If you could have starred in one movie or TV involved, small ways to give back, show, what character would you volunteering opportunities, and be? they become sponges. Their hearts A: I would go back to my high Age: 33 expand like the water soaking into school and college days and be a Family: husband, Josh a dry sponge. Eventually they’re character on the sitcom “Friends.” McRae; daughter, Callie, soaking wet, waiting to be rung out I wouldn’t want to be a specific 6, and twin boys, Collin so they can spread their joy, leave character because I loved them all and Carter, 4, — plus dog, their mark, wherever they go. so much, but I would like to be a Elsa, and cat, Kix Q: What’s the best advice you’ve main character with them. Rachel Job: Sixth-grade langiven or received? Green, Monica Geller, Phoebe Buffay guage arts teacher at A: Selecting the best advice I and I would all be best friends!! I’d I.J. Holton Intermediate have been given is a difficult one also love to star in the movie “How School Depending on what I am doing: to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” but I want volunteering at church, playing to be Kate Hudson … just so I can with my children, attending be with Matthew McConaughey. sporting events, teaching my students, cheering them Q: What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever on at their sports, running my children around to their happened to you? events and activities, helping a friend, spending time A: Oh Gee! Was it the time I accidentally “mooned” with friends, etc…I could list a piece of advice I have the entire high school boys cross country team? Or the been given for every part of my life; however, there time I fell on a cactus … completely FELL on the cacare three pieces of advice that I live by and I try to pass tus?! No, it might have been the time my sister had me convinced there was a difference between the type of them on to others: air you put in your tires on your car … “summer” air 1. Kill them with Kindness versus “winter” air. The cute mechanic got a kick out 2. Be the Bigger Person of that one. 3. You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile Q: What’s your No. 1 vice or guilty pleasure? Thanks to my mom and Annie (from the musical “Annie”), I have been able to instill these in my A: Number One? How about top 3: Diet Coke, overly children, my students, and continually strive to be the buttered popcorn and Hallmark movies! best version of myself possible. Q: If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you Q: What’s a fun fact or story about you most of your would buy? co-workers don’t know? A: Realistically, it would be something for my A: This is not a fair question; I am an open book and children because I love seeing the joy on their faces share many stories. While on stage during opening when they are given something. I would like to believe number at the Miss Minnesota Pageant, my 5-inch the first thing I would buy would be plane tickets to a heel broke and I almost wiped out, which would have couples only getaway. My husband and I would take a resulted in me falling off the s age. Like any pageant few of our close friends to a tropical island for a week girl, I held my poise and gracefully continued. While of relaxing, exploring and taking in the beautiful wonders around us … and adult time … without kids! playing in my college basketball games, I had broken Q: What would be on your bucket list? several opponents’ noses (they received the foul). A: I want to run a marathon. I want to travel the I also received several concussions from playing world, specifically to England, Australia, Paris and extremely aggressive in basketball, I think this is why I forget certain things. My twin boys are the only twins Africa. I want to be an official cast member” in Walt Disney World. Travel with my kids and show them all in our entire family history, and they’re natural. One of the beautiful National Parks, museums and states of my favorite facts though, I can tie a cherry stem throughout our country. Travel to all 11 Disney Theme in a knot using only my tongue. My record time is 5 Parks throughout the world. Visit every Major League seconds! Baseball stadium with my dad. Q: If you were on a deserted island, what books
Age: 31 Family: In a relationship with someone who has three children Job: Austin Police offi er be done by volunteering for an event or just talking to people in order to get to know the citizens of Austin. Q: What’s the best advice you’ve given or received? A: It’s probably pretty simple and probably pretty common but don’t give up on your dreams. Even when things aren’t going your way, just don’t give up and keep pushing forward. Q: What’s a fun fact or story about you most of your co-workers don’t know? A: A lot of my co-workers don’t know I can draw. Q: If you were on a deserted island, what books would you bring? A: “Ready Player One” by Ernest Cline,
“Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck and “Hatchet” by Gary Paulsen. Q: If you could have starred in one movie or TV show, what character would you be? A: Larry David from “Curb your Enthusiasm.” Q: What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you? A: I once fell in a pool while riding bumper boats in the Orange County fair. It happened when I was on a field trip with my schoolmates and I was soaking wet until we had to return to school. Q: What’s your No. 1 vice or guilty pleasure? A: I become addictive when I find a new activity I like and end up buying a whole bunch of gear for that activity. Q: If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would buy? A: Buying a piece of land up in Northern Minnesota. Q: What would be on your bucket list? A: Visiting all of our nations National parks and monuments.
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ing to continue to create a center of excellence at MCHS-Austin/Albert Lea. I also continue to encourage the initiative looking to provide high speed internet access to every child in our school district as this is truly an investment in the future of our children and community. Availability of high speed internet was essential to my husband as we looked toward buying a house in Austin, as his soft are engineering job requires it. This is a challenge facing many communities around the country as it becomes an important factor when young professionals are looking to purchase a home. Q: What have you learned about the community through your job and groups? A: Austin is full of hardworking, trustworthy individuals that take pride in doing their best every day. I am surrounded by nurses, technicians, and other physicians who give 110 percent of themselves every day to their job, thus creating an empathetic, supportive and informative environment for their patients. My colleagues come in early, stay late and work over lunch in order to accommodate the needs of the patients seen in the hospital. In the short time we have lived here, we have met many families looking to make Austin a great place to raise their children. Part of raising Q: What community groups are you involved with? A: Board member of Austin Area Chamber of Commerce, Year Leader for the Leadership Austin Program, Chair of the Chamber Government Affairs Committee, First Vice President of the Austin Morning Lions, Member of the Mower County Planning Commission and the Board of Adjustment, Past Participant of the Blandin Community Leadership program and Youth Hockey Coach. Q: What’s your favorite thing about the community? A: The people! You can’t have a great community without great people and we truly have that. Q: How do you see the community improving already and how can it do better? A: We have some really great things going on in this community and it’s important to keep moving in that direction. The Rec Center is a positive step in the right direction. Q: What have you learned about the community through your job and the groups you
Age: 36 Family: wife, Tanya, and three sons, Talan, 8, Trace, 6, and Thatcher, 8 months. We also have a black lab named Tatum. Job: management services director at Cedar Valley Services Inc. participate in? A: Both through my job and the various groups I’ve been involved with I have come to realize how many people we have in this community willing to be a part of projects or committees. It makes it really enjoyable to be a participant with so many great people being involved. Q: What’s the best advice you’ve given or received? A: Be honest and work hard. That is something my dad always told us growing up and now I find myself saying it to my kids. Q: What’s a fun fact or story about you most of your co-workers don’t know? A: I was the man in the Spam can costume in a couple parades and other functions
when I was a teenager. Q: If you were on a deserted island, what books would you bring? A: Preferably ones I haven’t already read. An author I enjoy is Stephen Frey. I also like biographies of key figures in history. Q: If you could have starred in one movie or TV show, what character would you be? A: Any bit part in “Caddyshack,” but since that came out the year I was born that might have been tough. Q: What’s your No. 1 vice or guilty pleasure? A: Ice Cream ( just ask my wife) Q: If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would buy? A: It would depend on the size of the jackpot. It could be anything from an airplane to a sports franchise — preferably hockey. Q: What would be on your bucket list? A: This would be a long list as I have a lot of different areas I would like to travel to. My wife and I crossed one off the list last year when we went to Iceland.
Progress 2017
Taggert Medgaarden
Dr. Jennifer Goins
children is the idea that it takes a whole city. This that comes with a deserted island, I am currently is the first place I have lived, since having children, enjoying the “Wheel of Time” series of 15 books. where we know our neighbors and would trust Q: If you could have starred in one movie or TV them with our children. From the staff at da care, show, what character would you be? Woodson Kindergarten, the YMCA to friends and A: Rory Gilmore (“Gilmore Girls” TV series) or family being closer and thus able to participate in Laura Ingalls (“Little House on the Prairie” TV our lives more regularly, I trust that they all have series based on the book series) would be the two my family’s best interest in mind. characters I relate to via the parallels in my life. Q: What’s the best advice Q: What’s the most embarrassyou’ve given or received? ing thing that’s ever happened A: Being smart isn’t enough. to you? Age: 37 What matters is figuring out A: Having to call my neighbor Family: husband, Al what you don’t know and havto ask how to remove the key Goins, two daughters and ing the persistence to learn it. from the ignition of the picka son Daily effort is worth ten times as up truck my husband recently Job: consultant in much as genius. purchased. It was my first time anesthesiology and Q: What’s a fun fact or driving it. I pride myself on being perioperative medistory about you most of your somewhat handy, having grown cine, consultant in pain co-workers don’t know? up on a family farm. I sat in the medicine, Division Chair A: I grew up on a farm in parking lot trying to jiggle the of Pain Medicine at Mayo southern Minnesota and part key out, turning the steering Clinic Health System of what I learned was that wheel, and starting the truck etc. — Austin/Albert Lea, neighbors help neighbors and Luckily I was in the parking lot of Southeast Regional vice whatever you give of yourself, Auto-Zone when this happened. chair of anesthesiology, you will get back tenfold. As a I sheepishly walked into the president of Medical Staff teenager, this was never more store and asked one of the guys Austin/Albert Lea true than one fall as my elderly to help me. Needless to say, the neighbors became ill and key came right out for the nice unable to harvest their crops. man that volunteered to come The whole farming community pitched together out into the cold to help me; and of course, my to help and that included all children able to work husband has never once had this problem (He’s after school. While harvesting one afternoon, my not handy!). I’ve been cursed this way, especially neighbor came hobbling out to the field I had with computers and the TV. As soon as I ask for just started working, waving me to stop. This was help, the problem magically goes away. the field that was supposed to be used for the Q: What’s your No. 1 vice or guilty pleasure? Minnesota State Old Fashioned Cornhusking comA: At the end of a long day I enjoy sinking into a petition, which he was going to host that year. As soft chair n xt to the fire with a glass of wine and we completed the rest of his harvest, I became a good book, listening to the silence of sleeping interested in what this competition was and my children. neighbor became my instructor. I trained with him Q: If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing every day after school until the competition and you would buy? eventually competed in state competition on his A: It is important to learn from and cherish the farm and won. This led me to the national compe- past, be happy in the present and hopeful for the tition in Kansas later that year. It was an amazing future. I would use the money from lottery winexperience in community, love and support that I nings to ensure that my history growing up on the will carry with me the rest of my life and hope to farm was secured by paying off the l ans. Next I pass on to my children. would invest in my children’s future education. At Q: If you were on a deserted island, what books that point, I would then be happy in the present would you bring? with a family trip somewhere warm. A: The practical, logical, planner in me would Q: What would be on your bucket list? likely choose books that would help me survive A: See all of my children graduate from college. as comfortably as possible and look for esLive to see great-grandchildren. Travel (see the cape: Guide to tropical insects, Guide to herbal Seven Wonders of the World, African safari, medicine, U.S. Army Survival Field Manual. On Australian Outback adventure, Pan-Asian trip). Zip the other hand, if I am looking for the solitude Line trip across Hawaii. Walk on a glacier.
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Austin Daily Herald
Q: What community groups are you involved with? A: Between my role as a physician and my roles as wife and mother of three young children I am kept quite busy. More recently we have become more involved with the Austin YMCA as our children have started taking multiple lessons there including swimming, gymnastics, T-ball, basketball, and soccer. As youth groups were a significant component of my youth, we expect to become more involved with 4-H and Girl Scouts/ Boy Scouts as our children become age appropriate. I otherwise find that volunteering at work is a way to lend clinician input and expertise to many leadership roles which in turn work to better our community through improved health care services. Q: What’s your favorite thing about the community? A: I grew up in a small town where everyone knew me, and my parents never had to worry about where I was or what I was up to as someone would likely know me in case of an emergency. Austin exemplifies this when we had a crisis situation at the Mower County Fair. My son (at the time approximately age 2) managed to sneak out of a stroller while we were standing in line ordering food. He later explained his actions as “I wanted to see the animals.” Needless to say, this is a parent’s nightmare, and just as panic was about to set in, teachers from Apple Lane Child Care Center appeared carrying my son. They recognized him on site, realized he was alone and immediately came looking for my husband and me. Not only was my son returned safely and rapidly, he was not scared as he was found by a friendly face. Q: How do you see the community improving already and how can it do better? A: The greatest need I see in this community is creating additional reasons for young individuals and families to choose Austin as a place to live and spend their money, thereby re-investing in the community. I would like to see more entertainment options for young families (indoor public playground, bounce facility or water park to avoid winter weather). Austin would benefit from additional shopping, evening entertainment and dining options as many dollars migrate to Rochester for these purposes. I am excited by the stimulus of the Hormel Institute expansion creating new jobs, the Hy-Vee grocery store expansion with new shopping opportunities and the development of a community center. From a clinical perspective, I am excited about help-
Q: What community groups are you involved with? A: Less in the last year. I stepped back a bit when I took the manager job to concentrate on that and dad duties. But I’m connected closely to our local Pheasants Forever chapter. I’ve been a part of that committee as the Habitat Chair since moving to town in 2004. That group has always had fantastic leadership and passion connected to it. As much as anyone in the state. I’ve always had a great pride in sharing that passion with the community. Q: What’s your favorite thing about the community? A: The amount of “want yo” that is in the community. I’m not originally from the Austin area, so maybe I see the assets of the community a little more clearly. But we’re way above average in most of the things that make a community great. The people are involved and energetic to have an influence on their community. The ag community, which is who I interact with most, has shown that they are very progressive with water quality challenges and wanting to be a part of working towards solutions for that. In other areas I’ve worked and lived, this is just not the case. If you look around the community, we have tremendous leadership in key parts of the community as well. The leaders in your local corn and soybean growers do a great job of representing the interests of ag. Our habitat and environmental folks do the same. State representatives that stay connected to local issues, county commissioners that are knowledgeable and active in all county issues. Not just the roads and human services, which are a full time job. The City Council and the active members that take intentional steps every day to make our community a little bit better. Great community! Q: How do you see the community improving already and how can it do better? A: I’m not sure I’m the authority on this question. There is a lot of history in the Austin that I haven’t experienced, so my perspective could be different from some of the lifers. I come from a tiny town in southwest Minnesota with no local resources, other than a chicken processing plant. Opportunities for community improvement were/are very limited there. In the last 10 years, Main Street has nearly shut down and
Q: What community groups are you involved with? A: Vision 2020 Waterways; Austin High School Alumni & Friends Association; my daughters’ schools. Q: What’s your favorite thing about the community? A: Great place to raise a family — lots of kid activities; strong public school system; excellent public library, nature center and trail system; many parks; and the Cedar River State Water Trail. Q: How do you see the community improving already and how can it do better? A: Downtown has improved greatly over the past decade, especially with Spam Museum reopening there. Schools are getting even better. I believe Austin has a ton of talent and creativity that has not been fully tapped. We need to dream bigger. Better collaborating and brainstorming will help us realize the full potential of the community improvement initiative. Q: What have you learned about the community through your job and groups? A: I have learned a lot about Austin’s history and diverse community, giving me more appreciation for my hometown. Q: What’s the best advice you’ve given or received?
30 under 40
Justin Hanson
everyone in the community leaves that community to do just about anything. This has influenced me and broke my heart. When I look at the situation in Austin, there is this tremendous opportunity in the Hormel Foundation, to improve things all over town. I read about all the different projects and programs they are working on and it’s really exciting for me. There have a been a few projects where the community has come out against. Most of the time this is a vetting out process and a great way to make sure we’re doing the best things locally. But sometimes it feels like there is just general opposition for their involvement in community improvement projects. I think about how one of those projects would impact my little town of Butterfield and how that town could be lifted up. I don’t have a suggestion on how to improve. Maybe just a comment that I feel much better about the future of Austin than I do my hometown and part of that has to do with the big players in the community, such as Vision 2020 and their leadership to drive community improvement projects.
30 under 40
Tim Ruzek
A: Lots from my parents, including the value of working hard, not quitting and being a good person.
Q: If you could have starred in one movie or TV Q: What have you learned about the community show, what character would you be? through your job and groups? A: Ron Swanson from “Parks and Recreation.” I A: My day job is working with natural resources and challenges that surround that. But really, my work has probably have a little different approach to governlittle to do with resources and everything to do with ment work than Ron, but I think it would help me to people. I’ve learned that we have great people here. I play a role of a laid back character. Plus, I’d get to walk don’t know how I could ever leave here. The farmers around all day with that mustache. are high class and drive any success that we have Q: What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever here. I’m not aware of another work happened to you? area that has what we have here. A: Standing in front of a township Age: 39 Q: What’s the best advice you’ve board at one of their meetings and Family: one son, given or received? going on with a whole presentation of Peyton A: For 11 years I got to work alonghow we’d like to partner with them on a Job: district manager of project. When I got done, I was anxious side one of the greatest leader, thinker Mower Soil and to get their feedback and hear whether and doer I’ve ever been around, in Bev Water Conservathey were on board or not. Instead the Nordby. To sum it up in one piece of tion District and chairman pointed out that my fly was advice would be impossible. But she administrator of down and provided me an opportunity had a big influence on me. Bev sits on Cedar River Wato address the situation. my shoulder every day and reminds me tershed District. Q: What’s your No. 1 vice or guilty that comfortable days are dangerous pleasure? days that can lead to bad habits for you A: This one’s easy…1980s sappy and the staff. I take that one with me every hour of every day. She also shared a vision with love songs. The sappier the better. Growing up in Butterfield was a little bit sparse for music access in me that we’ll never reach our resource goals through the mid-80’s. I loved music. But the only thing on the anything that we do in our offi e by ourselves. The radio was top 40 and easy listening songs. The result challenge is too great and we are too small. But of that is I celebrate the entire catalog of some pretty through our connections, education and willingness terrible bands. to work alongside our partners, maybe we can the Q: If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you ones that move the dial and find sustainable solutions would buy? to our issues. A: The obvious answers of setting my son up for Q: What’s a fun fact or story about you most of your college and life is the easy one here. But if there was co-workers don’t know? some leftover, I would be investing in a cabin on my A: Everyone who knows me, knows that I my family lake near Grand Rapids and a place in Fort understanding of cars is limited to checking the oil, Myers, Florida. There is nothing more relaxing than gassing it up and getting it down the road. However, fishing and watching the Twins during spring training. I have become pretty good at putting a competitive Q: What would be on your bucket list? Pinewood Derby car together. I have countless hours A: I came into running a little later in life. I have devoted to it, through my Boy Scout days and my son terrible eating habits and I was flirting with cholesin recent years. But we’ve put some competitive cars on the track. terol medication. So about eight years ago I got more Q: If you were on a deserted island, what books serious about running. Today it is probably my biggest would you bring (please limit answers to 3 to 5)? My hobby. There is nothing more annoying than listening first favorite book, “Hatchet,” and “Unbroken.” Both to a running drone on about their running goals, so survival style books but very inspiring characters that I’ll just leave it at this; I’d love to run a marathon in as I’ve connected with very closely as a kid and an adult. many states as I can, while I can.
Age: 36 Family: wife, Heather; daughters, Aubrey, 7, and Estelle, 3 Job: water plan & outreach coordinator for Mower Soil & Water Conservation District and Cedar River Watershed District Q: What’s a fun fact or story about you most of your co-workers don’t know? A: As a kid, I played hundreds of hours of baseball and football in my front yard … by myself. I wore team helmets and envisioned imaginary players. I put clumps of raisins in my mouth to mimic the big-league tobacco chewers (it was the 1980s). I even drew a regular crowd of an elderly couple across the street watching from lawn chairs. Q: If you were on a deserted island, what books would you bring? A: For laughs: “The Complete Far Side” by Gary Larson for laughs; for thriving on the island: “Awaken the Giant Within” by Tony Robbins; and for survival: “How to Survive on a Deserted Island” by Samantha Bell. Q: If you could have starred in one movie or TV show, what character would you be?
A: The late painter Bob Ross from “The Joy of Painting” TV show. I don’t even paint but always enjoyed his outlook on life, calming demeanor, talent at painting nature scenes, and, of course, amazing hair. Q: What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you? A: Likely wearing a pink tutu while jumping on to a spot that was not a hole in the ice and slipping on to my back in the first jump group of the inaugural “Plunging for Pink.” I also blanked and had to restart the national anthem on electric guitar back in 1999 at an Austin Packers boys hockey game while the visiting team laughed. Q: What’s your No. 1 vice or guilty pleasure? A: Sugar — I’ve got the dental bills to prove it. Q: If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would buy? A: There are a lot of obvious, fun ways to spend it but I honestly also would seek ways to give back because I feel very fortunate with the love and support I’ve received in my life. Maybe I’d create a charitable endowment fund to support hard-working young people from difficult or l w-income backgrounds go to college. Q: What would be on your bucket list? A: Hawaii.
Austin Daily Herald
92 Progress 2017
Austin Daily Herald
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Progress 2017
Adama Doumbouya Youhn
94 Progress 2017
PARADE PROGRESS
Austin Daily Herald
Q: What community groups are you involved with? A: I am the co-chair of Vision 2020’s Community Recreation Center committee. I also volunteer on the audit committee of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church and am transitioning to treasurer of the Banfield PTC. Q: What’s your favorite thing Age: 35 about the comFamily: husband, munity? Taggert, and three A: My favorite sons, Talan, 8, Trace, thing about Aus6, and Thatcher, 8 tin is the people months. We also who live here. have a black lab named Tatum. Q: How do you Job: I am a Principal see the commuat CliftonLarsonAllen nity improving LLP and specialize in already and how financial institutions can it do better? A: There are so many exciting things happening in the community from the rec center to the nature center to the Paramount expansion, etc. I enjoy seeing the community do things to continue to improve the quality of life for residents and become an even better place to live and work. Q: What have you learned about the community through your job and groups? A: People and businesses in this community are very generous with their time and money. I have had the opportunity to work and volunteer with great people. Q: What’s the best advice you’ve given or received? A: The best advice was from my parents and it was to live each day to the fullest. Q: What’s a fun fact or story about you most of your co-workers don’t know? A: I play the accordion and took lessons for about 10 years as a child. Q: If you were on a deserted island, what books would you bring? A: “The Girl on the Train” by Paula
30 under 40
1870
Quality Cemetery Memorials Award Winning Designs, Solid Reputation, Competitive Prices. National Recognition by peers for Excellence.
ANDERSON MEMORIALS
507-437-3636 OR 1-800-658-2560 106 4th Street SW • Austin, MN
A: Most of my colleagues don’t know I’m a poet! Q: If you were on a deserted island, what books would you bring? A: If I were on a deserted Island, I would bring the following books: “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte, “Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoyevsky and “Be Your Own Best Friend” by Louis Proto. Q: If you could have starred in one movie or TV show, what character would you be? A: If I could have starred in one movie, I would be a James Bond character. Q: If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would buy? A: If I won a lottery, the first thing I could buy might be a home. Another idea would be setting up a nonprofit organization to help underprivileged people, especially widows and children.
30 under 40
Tanya Medgaarden
Hawkins, “The Breathing Series” by Rebecca Donovan and “Before I Fall” by Lauren Oliver. Q: If you could have starred in one movie or TV show, what character would you be? A: Katniss Everdeen from “The Hunger Games.” Q: What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you? A: Falling down a large staircase, shattering my elbow and spending a week or so in the hospital. Q: What’s your No. 1 vice or guilty pleasure? (Can be food, music, TV show, movies, etc.) A: Watching “The Bachelor” or “The Bachelorette.” Q: If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would buy? A: A vacation around the world with my family. Q: What would be on your bucket list? A: Travel, travel and more travel!
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Q: What’s your favorite thing about the community? A: The community is a welcoming, bright and resourceful environment. Q: How do you see the community improving already and how can it do better? A: I think the community is moving great because people are able to realize their dreams regardless of who they Age: 29 are or where Family: Fourth of they’re coming five boys and three from. I think girls (eighth of nine it’s just great children); a mother and several cousins. here. I was married but Q: What divorced last year, have you and I’m single now. learned about I have a beautiful, the commulovely daughter who nity through lives with my mom in Liberia. Lost my dad your job and early 1990 during the groups? Liberian Civil War A: I have Job: Higher educalearned and tion advocate, presistill learning a dent of the Riverland lot about this Community College community. I Student Senate and a Platform Commithave met lots tee Representative of good people Southeast Minnesota who are willing at Minnesota State to listen, and College Student respect difAssociation (MSCSA) ferences. As a in St. Paul higher education advocate, I have learned a lot about team, diversity and caring for all people since I got involved. This actually encourages me to do more of what I’m doing. Q: What’s the best advice you’ve given or received? A: The best advice I have ever received was from my mom. She told me to respect and listen to people at all times. Q: What’s a fun fact or story about you most of your co-workers don’t know?
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Serving the people of Mower County in areas of Employment and Contracted Services by building buisness partnerships for 57 years.
433-2303
www.cedarvalleyservices.org
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TINY’S
BODY SHOP AUSTIN, MINN.
Since 1961
Austin’s Oldest Locally Owned & Operated Free Estimates • Free Loaner Car • State of the Art Shop Lifetime Written Warranty 56 YEARS OF SERVICE
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Q: What community groups are you involved with? A: Community Home Improvement Program. Q: What’s your favorite thing about the community? A: I love the familiarity of this community. It’s great knowing that I no matter where I go I will see a friendly face that I know. Age: 36 Q: How do you Family: four chilsee the commudren: a son and I’m nity improving in the process of already and how adopting three girls can it do better? Job: executive director of the Freeborn/ A: The people Mower Habitat for in this commuHumanity nity are really committed to making Austin a better place to live. In the past few years I have seen people really rise up to make change, not only through the sharing of ideas but through action. I’d like to see more concerned citizens stand up and voice their concerns and ideas. When more of us have a voice big things will start to happen. Q: What have you learned about the community through your job and groups? A: I have learned that volunteerism is at the heart of many of the individuals, churches, organizations, and businesses we work with. Q: What’s the best advice you’ve given or received? A: The best advice I ever received was from my mom and dad, both strong leaders. They told me to manage our organization with the mission of Habitat for Humanity guiding my every decision. I have done that from the start and it has helped provide a lot of clarity when faced with difficult choi es. Q: What’s a fun fact or story about you most of your co-workers don’t know? A: Most of my co-workers don’t know that some of my favorite hobbies include playing solitaire or doing adult dot-to-dots while lis-
30 under 40
Jake Vela
Q: If you could have starred in one movie or TV show, what character would you be? A: Avatar Aang from “The Last Airbender.” Q: What’s the best prank you ever pulled on someone? A: I swapped the “m” and “n” keys on a friends keyboard who couldn’t type very well. Hilarity ensued. Q: What’s your No. 1 vice or guilty pleasure? A: Plants bring me so much joy — especially during winter. I have eight citrus trees and many orchids growing at home. Q: If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would buy? A: The first thing I would “buy” would be the services of a financial advisor and/or lawyer who could help me develop a great investment portfolio. I know, boring and practical. Q: What would be on your bucket list? A: To visit the Seven Wonders of the World.
30 under 40
Brigitte Fisher
tening to audiobooks and drinking coffee. Q: If you were on a deserted island, what books would you bring? A: “The Diary of Anne Frank,” “The Law of Love,” “We Have Always Lived in the Castle,” “Metamorphosis,” and “Man’s Search for Meaning.” Q: What’s your No. 1 vice or guilty pleasure? A: My number one guilty pleasure is binge watching “Orange is the New Black.” Q: If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would buy? A: I’d buy a cabin by a lake and a cottage in my backyard for my mom and dad. That way they’d have the flexibility to enjoy their retirement years but I’d be able to take care of them should they need me to. Q: What would be on your bucket list? A: It’s on my bucket list to someday finish editing the book I wrote years ago. I’d love to see it out in the world.
Progress 2017
1908
Q: What community groups are you involved with? A: Currently serving on the Spirituality Center Team at the Congregational Church. Previously served on the Latino Economic Development Center Advisory Committee, Austin Human Rights Commission, Vision 2020 Steering Committee, and on the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation Board of Trustees. Q: What’s your favorite thing about the community? A: We have Age: 34 people from all Family: Kyle Keenan over the world and two cats (Oscar living and workand Terrance) ing here. EveryJob: Success Coach where I go, I see a at Austin Public friendly face that Schools I know. Q: How do you see the community improving and how can it do better? A: The community is becoming more integrated, but we need to ensure that all families have the tools, skills and financial capacity to continue to improve their quality of life. Q: What have you learned about the community through your job and groups? A: I’ve learned that people in Austin are very generous, passionate, and interested in improving the quality of life for all people in our community. Q: What’s the best advice you’ve given or received? A: Treat others the way they want to be treated. Q: What’s a fun fact or story about you most of your co-workers don’t know? A: I love Japanese anime/manga and am a big fan of Hayao Miyazaki’s work. Q: If you were on a deserted island, what books would you bring? A: “The Four Agreements” by Miguel Ruiz, “When Things Fall Apart” by Pema Chödrön and the “Harry Potter” series.
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Q: What’s your favorite thing about the community? A: I grew up here. It is a great place to raise a family and I am excited to raise my daughter here. Q: How do you see the community improving already and how can it do better? A: I have been in Arizona for the past Age: 35 few years, so it is Family: wife, Anna easy for me to see and daughter, Luna how Austin conJob: director/nattinues to change. uralist of the Jay Downtown continC. Hormel Nature Center ues to improve. The community is more diverse. Things are constantly changing around town and always for the better. Q: What have you learned about the community through your job and groups? A: Since being back in Austin, I have been reminded how important the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center is to this community. I have been very impressed with the financial support this community has put behind ensuring that local youth receive an environmental education. Q: What’s the best advice you’ve given or received? A: The best advice I have received was from Larry Dolphin. He said that we need to leave the earth a better place than we have found it. I have worked hard in my career to do just that. Q: What’s a fun fact or story about you most of your co-workers don’t know? A: I have a webbed toe. Q: If you were on a deserted island, what books would you bring? A: “The Lord of the Rings,” “The Singing Wilderness” and “Wilderness Survival for Dummies.” Q: If you could have starred in one movie or TV show, what character would you be?
30 under 40
Luke Reese
1962
1963 ––––– PRODUCERS –––––
John J. Register
Eric J. Connett
1966 & ASSOCIATES, INC.
Architects & Civil Engineers A: Andy Dufresne from “The Shawshank Redemption.” Q: What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you? A: I stepped in a fire ant hill in a public parking lot in Charleston, South Carolina. To keep the ants from covering and biting me, I was quickly forced to take my pants off. No one around me understood why I all of a sudden decided to remove my pants. Q: What’s your No. 1 vice or guilty pleasure? A: Coca-Cola. Q: If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would buy? A: An electric car. Q: What would be on your bucket list? A: I would love to see the constellations in the Southern Hemisphere.
Q: What community groups are you involved 30 under 40 with? A: Volunteer for Hormel Historic Home; co-coordinator for Crop for the Cure, a scrapbooking event that supports Lyle Area Cancer; a member of the Downtown Retailers Chamber Committee; and a graduate of Leadership Austin. Q: What’s your favorite thing about the community? A: The location and the recreation the area provides. Q: How do you see the community improving already and how can it do better? A: Our community is constantly changing and improving itself by embracing the history and creativity that exists locally. As tourists visit the Hormel Historic Home, I’m lucky to be able to visualize the community through their eyes as they appreciate and compliment every aspect that we, as locals, may not take note of. Q: What have you learned about the community through your job and groups? A: Through my experiences with tourists, wedding couples and families, events and fundraisers, I am constantly learning more about Austin and Q: If you were on a deserted island, what books the surrounding areas. Someone once told me to would you bring? be a tourist in your own town to learn about new A: “Prairie Lake Forest Minnesota’s State Parks,” places or relearn about a place you may not have visited in quite some time; you’ll realize how many “Live What You Love,” and a blank book or notebook for journaling. activities and the variety of businesses surround Q: If you could have starred in one movie or you. TV show, what character would Q: What’s the best advice you be? you’ve given or received? Age: 32 A: Elaine Benes from “Seinfeld.” A: “Take the time to enjoy your Family: husband, Q: What’s the most embarrasslife.” — my dad, Mark Fett Cole, and “furkids,” ing thing that’s ever happened to Q: What’s a fun fact or story Jessie (black Labrador you? about you most of your co-workdog) and Zoe (tortoiseA: While camping with family ers don’t know? shell cat) and friends, an entire awning-full A: They may or may not Job: operations of water dumped on top of me, know just how much I love the manager and wedding just after I mentioned I didn’t outdoors; camping, fishing, coordinator at the Hormel Historic Home, bring more than one pair of jeans. and hiking. My most recent on-site coordinator for Learned my lesson: Always have a accomplishment while ice fishing The Hormel Foundasecond pair of clothes on hand! happened in January 2017 on the tion Gifted & Talented Q: What’s your No. 1 vice or St. Croix River. I fought for 3 hours Symposium guilty pleasure? and 45minutes to catch a Lake A: Craft bee . Sturgeon. Not just any sturgeon; Q: If you won the lottery, what’s a 47 inch sturgeon! We estimatthe first thing you would buy? ed it weighed about 23 pounds. The sturgeon A: I’d pay off my home and pu chase a new is a special concern species and I’ve never even camper to travel throughout the state of Minnesocaught a glimpse of one, in person, before. I’m ta and across the country. honored to have caught such an incredible fish! Q: What would be on your bucket list? The following weekend I was honored to catch A: To camp and hike in every Minnesota state the opposite sized fish, a three inch perch! Ha! You park. just never know what you’re going to get.
Austin • 507-437-8141
907 Sykes Street • Albert Lea • 507-373-0689
1973
Israel Benitez
––––– ACCOUNT MANAGERS –––––
Macey Cannon
Melissa Hoerter
Fallon Lorenzen
SERVING SOUTHERN MINNESOTA SINCE 1963 203 North Main Street Austin, Minnesota
437-4503 1974
Locally Owned & Operated FREE ESTIMATES
The Exhaust Specialists
1204 West Oakland Ave. • Austin, MN 55912 1-888-433-2307 • 507-433-2307
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Amanda Barber
House of
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Austin Daily Herald
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307 West Oakland Avenue Austin, MN • 437-4135
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HILL, LARSON & WALTH, P.A. CPA
1970
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The CPA. Never Underestimate the Value. Certified Public Accountants
326 North Main Street, Austin www.hlwb-cpa.com
433-2264
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Q: What community groups are you involved with? A: Rotary of Austin — currently the president elect nominee; United Way of Mower County Board of Directors. Q: What’s your favorite thing about the community? A: My favorite part of this community is the Age: 36 Family: husband, way it embraces Jason Baskin, and our schools. Our two daughter, Ava, 4, students and and Olivia, 1 staff ha e always Job: Austin High appreciated the School principal support we have received from families, businesses, and service organizations. This community values quality education and works very hard to ensure that all needs of our students are met each day. Q: How do you see the community improving already and how can it do better? A: Austin has come so far in such a short time. I am proud to be a part of a Welcoming Community — one that celebrates and recognizes the value in diversity. Our commitment to music and the arts in Austin is truly fantastic. I love that my children have opportunities to engage their creativity and be exposed to talent right here in Austin. Q: What have you learned about the community through your job and groups? A: I learn about our community and how it supports our students and families each day within my role at Austin High School. We are so blessed to have the resources and support networks in Austin that allow families to grow and learn together. Q: What’s the best advice you’ve given or received? A: Early in my career, one of my mentors told me that as long as I am doing what is best for kids, I am making the right decision. Q: What’s a fun fact or story about you most of your co-workers don’t know? A: I can throw a pretty decent football. My father was a college quarterback and high school football coach for 23 years. He made sure his daughters could throw a football just as well as the players on his team. Q: If you were on a deserted island, what books would you bring (please limit answers to 3 to 5)? A: “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton, “Where the
30 under 40
Luke Hoeppner
most of your co-workers don’t know? A: I ran five marathons when I was younger in Chicago, Green Bay, Milwaukee and the Twin Cities twice. Q: If you were on a deserted island, what books would you bring? A: The Bible, “Timeline” by Michael Crichton, and probably the most recent edition of the “Baseball America Prospect Handbook.” Q: What’s your No. 1 vice or guilty pleasure? A: Playing soft all, running, and watching MLB and NBA games. Q: What would be on your bucket list? A: Traveling. I’d love to visit Australia, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Japan, and many other places throughout the world. I’d also like to watch a baseball game at every MLB park in the country. I’ve been to 12 of 30 stadiums.
30 under 40
Katie Baskin
Sidewalk Ends” by Shel Silverstein, “The Heart of Coaching” by Thomas Crane, “Stories I Only Tell My Friends” by Rob Lowe, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss. Q: If you could have starred in one movie or TV show, what character would you be? A: Elizabeth McCord, Secretary of State on “Madam Secretary.” She is fierce, no-nonsense, and always looking to do what is right. Q: What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you? A: During my very first staff d velopment session as an Austin Public Schools employee, my mom had flowers delivered to me for my birthday. They walked right into the auditorium and started calling out my name in front of everyone, and no one knew who I was. It was brutal! Q: What’s your No. 1 vice or guilty pleasure? (Can be food, music, TV show, movies, etc.) A: Bravo — the reality TV shows just kill me — a great way to get a good laugh in. Q: If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would buy? A: An airplane — my family is not from the area and I would love to see them more often. Q: What would be on your bucket list? A: Taking a warm vacation with all of the women in my family. They are pretty amazing and I would love all of them in one spot for an extended time.
Progress 2017
Daily Lunch & Evening Specials
Q: What community groups are you involved with? A: I enjoy participating in Paint the Town Pink events and other community activities as well as the Young Adult Group at St. Augustine Catholic Church. Q: What’s your favorite thing about the community? A: People in the Age: 34 community go out Family: wife, Linda, of their way to be children: Hannah, 5, kind, welcoming, Elizabeth, 3, Peter, 1 and inclusive. AusJob: assistant tin is an excellent professor and “Molecular Biology & place to reside Translational Cancer and raise a family. Research” section Q: How do you leader at The Hormel see the commuInstitute nity improving already and how can it do better? A: Since joining the Austin community about a year and a half ago, I’ve seen growth and renovation within the community, which is outstanding. Examples include the new Spam Museum, The Hormel Institute expansion, new restaurants, and the ongoing construction of the new Hy-Vee. These improvements are great to see and I hope they continue, along with expanding local recreation trails and parks. Q: What have you learned about the community through your job and groups? A: I’m proud, amazed, grateful, and humbled by the overwhelming community support for cancer research through Paint the Town Pink. A: What’s the best advice you’ve given or received? A: Treat everyone with respect, be kind, value family, and work hard. Q: What’s a fun fact or story about you
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Q: What community groups are you involved with? A: Grand Meadow Public School, Grand Meadow Education Foundation and Grand Meadow Lutheran Church. Q: What’s your favorite thing about the community? A: Grand Meadow is a Age: 39 “can do comFamily: wife, Susan, munity.” Grand and three daughters, Meadow is a Riley, 14, Kendyl, 11, very welcoming and Lauren, 9. community with Job: real estate agent with Land Regreat potential source Management for the future. & Realty Inc. and The commuco-promoter of Deer nity helps one Creek Speedway LLC. another and supports/loves its school Q: How do you see the community improving already and how can it do better? A: The community needs to continue to be inviting and have an eye on the future. Our location between Austin and Rochester is a great asset. We need to market the community. We are the best kept secret regarding a place to live and raise a family. Q: What have you learned about the community through your job and groups? A: Community members and business owners have a “we” mentality. They know that if we have a strong, vibrant, safe community we can all prosper and have a great place to work, live, and raise a family. Q: What’s the best advice you’ve given or received? A: Let people get to know you, trust you, and they will do business with you. Q: What’s a fun fact or story about you most of your co-workers don’t know?
Austin Daily Herald
98 Progress 2017
Q: What community groups are you involved with? A: Austin Page Turners, Austin Chapter of the AAUW, Mower Refresh, Community Education Advisory, Austin Aspires, American Library Association and the Great Twin Cities Saint Bernard Club Q: What’s your favorite thing Age: 35 about the comJob: Austin Public munity? Library Librarian A: My favorite part of the community is, of course, the Austin Public Library. I am adamant that libraries form the heart of a thriving community. They are committed to building a strong sense of social awareness through outreach to children and adults, and act as a gateway to learning and knowledge. They assist in shaping the skills needed to survive and thrive in a global world — not only connecting people to information and technology, but providing a space to connect people to people. Q: How do you see the community improving already and how can it do better? A: Austin has many devoted service groups and committees that contribute to our community in various ways. Raising awareness of these causes and encouraging greater participation is paramount in assuring that we are progressing and investing in development toward building a thriving city. Q: What have you learned about the community through your job and groups? A: I have witnessed firsthand that the library is a catalyst for engaging awareness and education; it is a space committed to harnessing a diverse group of great minds that aim to improve, educate and entertain Austin. Q: What’s a fun fact or story about you most of your co-workers don’t know? A: As a close-knit group I think my co-workers know nearly everything about me. I am pretty much an open book! Q: If you were on a deserted island, what
30 under 40
Ryan Queensland
A: I was in plays and musicals in high school Q: If you were on a deserted island, what books would you bring? A: Anything sports or coaching related. Q: If you could have starred in one movie or TV show, what character would you be? A: Phil Dunphy from “Modern Family.” Q: What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you? A: Competing in Lip Sync Battles with our basketball team Q: What’s your No. 1 vice or guilty pleasure? A: Mike and Ikes. Q: If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would buy? A: A house in Arizona or Florida. Q: What would be on your bucket list? A: To attend the NCAA Final Four.
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2000 8th Street NW, Austin 507-437-2400
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30 under 40
Courtney Wyant
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books would you bring? A: I would bring along a selection of classics that never get old! My top titles would include: “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott, “The Swiss Family Robinson” by Johann David Wyss and “Robinson Crusoe” by Daniel Defoe. Q: If you could have starred in one movie or TV show, what character would you be? A: Katharine Hepburn in “The Philadelphia Story,” 1940. Q: What’s your No. 1 vice or guilty pleasure? A: Netflix. Q: If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would buy? A: A box of macaroons direct from Ladurée, a Parisian bakery that has been around since 1862. Q: What would be on your bucket list? A: A journey on the famed Orient Express, high tea at the Savoy in London, a gondola ride in Venice and a night at the Opera Garnier in Paris.
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2008
Q: What community groups are you 30 under 40 involved with? A: Leadership Austin. Q: What’s your favorite thing about the community? A: Austin has a small town feel, but offers many amenities of a larger city. Q: How do you see the community improving already and how can it do better? A: I think Vision 2020 Age: 28 has done, and Family: wife, Kristin, continues to do, and infant daughter, a lot of good Eva things in Austin. Job: Assistant City Improvements Engineer can be made by having more people participate in the process by volunteering and providing opinions and input. Q: What have you learned about the community through your job and groups? A: There are a lot of great people in the A: Don’t waste your days doing nothing; community that are working hard to make always look for something to do or learn. Austin a better place to live and work. Q: What’s a fun fact or story about you Q: What’s the best advice you’ve given most of your co-workers don’t know? or received?
A: I got second place in the Guinness Book of World Records largest game of lightning/knockout. Q: If you were on a deserted island, what books would you bring? A: “How to Survive on a Deserted Island” and the “Harry Potter” series. Q: If you could have starred in one movie or TV show, what character would you be? A: Forrest Gump. Q: What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you? A: On my way home from officiating a high school basketball game, I got my car stuck in a snowbank a few blocks from the school. I flagged down a car full of players from the losing team to help pull me out. And then not having any cash on me to thank them for helping me out. Q: What’s your No. 1 vice or guilty pleasure? A: Surfing the internet. Q: If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would buy? A: A boat. Q: What would be on your bucket list? A: Travel the world.
Q: What community groups are you involved with? A: Summerset Theatre. Q: What’s your favorite thing about the community? A: The tremendous art, music, theatre, and dance opportunities happening all over town. Q: How do you Age: 36 see the commuFamily: husband, nity improving Sean, daughter, Inalready and how grid, and two rescue can it do better? dogs A: There are so Job: theatre director many exciting at Riverland Commuprojects in the nity College works, such as the expansion of the Paramount Theatre. The arts community in Austin is always looking to improve and dreaming big. Austin is rapidly diversifying and I think our next step is making sure that the art we create is reflective of and accessible to all of our community. We can do a better job of making sure that everyone’s stories are being told. Q: What have you learned about the community through your job and groups? A: We have a lot of committed, dedicated
received? A: Passion cannot be taught. If you have that, you can do just about anything. Q: What’s a fun fact or story about you most of your co-workers don’t know? A: One summer I had a job hosting one of the Shamu shows at Sea World San Diego. I can still recite all sorts of facts about the killer whales there. Q: If you were on a deserted island, what books would you bring? A: “Sophie’s World” by Jostein Gaarder, “Les Miserables” by Victor Hugo and the “Harry Potter” series. Q: If you could have starred in one movie or TV show, what character would you be? A: Dr. Ellie Sattler in “Jurassic Park.” Q: What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you? A: Tripping on my costume and falling flat on my face on stage during a show. Q: What’s your No. 1 vice or guilty pleasure? A: French fries. Q: If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would buy? A: I’d want to put the money towards equal rights causes … but let’s be honest, I’d keep a little for a nice vacation to Hawaii. Q: What would be on your bucket list? A: Running a marathon.
Morgan Carlson
Mitch Wenum
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30 under 40
Lindsey Duoos Williams
volunteers who make the arts in Austin possible. It enables us to do things that other communities of our size can’t do. Q: What’s the best advice you’ve given or
Progress 2017
1997
improve itself. Vision 2020 has had some great success, but I didn’t hear much about it until I had already been here for over a year. Q: What’s the best advice you’ve given or received? A: There has been a lot of advice over the years that I believe would qualify, but this one essentially comes from two of my favorite people: “Waste not, want not.” — My dad quoting his mom, Helen Carlson.
30 under 40
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Q: What’s a fun fact or story about you most of your co-workers don’t know? A: Most of them know I am, like most people, on the internet a lot, but they probably don’t know I am very happy to completely unplug as long as I have enough interesting things to read. Q: If you were on a deserted island, what books would you bring? A: There are too many amazing books to choose from, but I would certainly want something about surviving on and eventually escaping a deserted island. Q: If you could have starred in one movie or TV show, what character would you be? A: Mia Thermopolis in “Princess Diaries II” (who doesn’t want to try mattress surfing??). Q: What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you? A: More funny than embarrassing, but … my parents and I were stopped at the Canadian border because I admitted to having pepper spray. Q: What’s your No. 1 vice or guilty pleasure? A: Food is my go-to vice. Popovers and caramel puff corn are two of my favorites. Q: If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would buy? A: I’d take my parents on a cruise around Alaska. Q: What would be on your bucket list? A: Indoor skydiving, dogsledding, and many other things.
Q: What community groups are you involved with? A: AAUW, P.E.O. Chapter BZ, Friends of the Library Board Member, Rotaract, and the Tenth District Bar Association. Q: What’s your favorite thing about the community? A: I love the size of the city (the lack of heavy traffic is amazing) and how welcoming the people have been. I also Age: 25 love how many Family: parents, Darparks and green la Wallerich-Carlson spaces there are. and Wally Carlson of Green spaces are Theilman, Minneone of the things sota, in Wabasha County. I am an only I missed the child, but I am very most when I was close with several of at law school in my cousins, so I am Minneapolis. an aunt a few times Q: How do you over now. see the commuJob: Associate Attorney at Adams, Rizzi & nity improving Sween, P.A. already and how can it do better? A: There are many organizations in the Austin area that are working towards improving the community and benefiting its members. The community has some room for improvement in how well publicized these programs are. Q: What have you learned about the community through your job and groups? A: I’ve learned that the Austin community is a very generous one that is looking to
Austin Daily Herald
1989
Q: What community groups are you involved with? A: Mower County Habitat & Pheasants Forever, Hunt for a Cure group coordinator, chamber ambassadors, Plunging for Pink participant for Paint the Town Pink and Special Olympics Q: What’s your favorite thing about the community? A: The incredible number of community volunteers and philanthropists that generously give of their time, energy and money to make Austin a great place to live and raise a family. You can tell how truly passionate people are about our community. Q: How do you see the community improving already and how can it do better? A: We need to continue to work on unifying our diverse community. We have made progress, but we definitely need to do better. We need to continue to educate our community on the benefits of diversity and continue work on dispelling misperceptions and myths. We must also continue to address the drug problem in our community through education, enforcement and by providing our younger populations with healthy positive activities and things to do. I also think we need to do more to make Austin a community that young professionals want to live in. Some of the current community initiatives such as Vision 2020 are a great step in the right direction. Q: What have you learned about the community through your job and groups?
30 under 40
Jamie Surdy
A: That we are all better when we work together. We have so much to learn from others and so much can be accomplished when we work together for a common goal and purpose. Q: What’s the best advice you’ve given or received? A: Go out in the world and do well. But more importantly, go out in the world and do good. Also, be careful of technology: don’t let email, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and other social media replace human contact. They don’t have the pow-
“Go out in the world and do well. But more importantly, go out in the world and do good.” er of eye contact, a handshake, the sound movie or TV show, what character would you be? of a voice. A: John Gustafson in “Grumpy Old Men.” Q: What’s a fun fact or story about you Q: What’s the most embarrassing thing most of your co-workers don’t know? A: In 1987, at seven months old, I spent that’s ever happened to you? A: When I was about 13 or so, my mom an afternoon being toted around by Frank stormed onto the baseball field during Viola — who had just been named the the middle of a game I was pitching in MVP for the World Series Champion Minand drug me off the field after hearing nesota Twins days before. His wife was a from a neighbor that myself college friend of my mom’s. and a couple friends had been I’ve still got the photos of us Age: 29 jumping off our garage roof and the baseball he signed for Family: wife, onto our trampoline. I was me that day. Amy, yellow mortified. Q: If you were on a deserted labs Sage and Q: What’s your No. 1 vice or island, what books would you Bay, and cats guilty pleasure? bring ? Chuck and BG A: Ice cream — and I’m lacA: “My Side of the MounJob: financial tain,” “Hatchet,” “Where the tose intolerant! advisor. Red Fern Grows,” and “Way Q: If you won the lottery, Back in the Ozarks.” I know, what’s the first thing you would these are all children’s books, buy? but they are the books that instilled A: I’d pay off my debts, invest most of in me my love of reading, nature and it, and buy some hunting land! adventure. They also would be helpful in Q: What would be on your bucket list? figuring out how to survive on a deserted A: Buying land, going on an Alaskan island! fishing/hunting trip, seeing more of the Q: If you could have starred in one United States.
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Q: What community groups are you involved with? A: AAUW, The Austin Spirituality Center, Austin Arts Center, Southern Minnesota Bicycle Club, and Austin Aspires. I am also the founder and Project Coordinator for the Science Fair Mentoring Project, a program designed to help our students participate in the science fair. Q: What’s your favorite thing about the community? A: I really like how our community values the arts and education. Most towns the size of Austin don’t have a symphony, venues like the Paramount and the Arts Center, a children’s theater, or an annual arts festival. It’s wonderful to have so many options to take in a variety of different arts right here in Austin. Q: How do you see the community improving already and how can it do better? A: The downtown area is very vibrant, which isn’t common in small towns anymore. I hope it continues to grow each year. The effort to make Austin a bike-friendly city is also a positive step forward. I am really excited to see the completion of the portion of the Shooting Star Trail between Austin and Rose Creek. I think it will provide another great opportunity for residents to get out and be active. Q: What have you learned about the community through your job and groups? A: I have learned that Austin has a lot of people who are really involved in making our community a better place. Our residents volunteer as mentors in our schools, to serve on committees with Austin Aspires and Vision
30 under 40
Catherine Haslag
2020, and volunteer at the Art Center, just to name a few. When I see so many people involved in improving our community, it reminds me of my hometown in Missouri. I think that’s one of the reasons I enjoy living here so much. Q: What’s the best advice you’ve given or received? A: When I moved here, a friend of mine told me to buy knee-high, Smartwool socks and a heavy winter coat that goes to my knees. They have been a necessity to surviving the winters here. Another friend
“I have learned that Austin has a lot of people who are really involved in making our community a better place.” introduced me to cross-country skiing at the female figure who led with grace and style. Jay C. Hormel Nature Center, which has been Plus, it would have been so much fun to a great way to get out in the winter and beat “command a starship.” cabin fever. Q: What’s your No. 1 vice or guilty pleasQ: What’s a fun fact or story about you ure? most of your co-workers don’t know? A: I play Pokemon Go. Go Mystic! A: I won the Bonnots Mill, MO Yo-Yo ChamQ: If you won the lottery, what’s the first pionship in 1989. I am still the thing you would buy? A: One or more (OK, probably champion, mainly because there Age: 36 most) of the many books curhasn’t been another yo-yo comJob: Chemistry petitionship there since 1989. rently on my Amazon wish list. I faculty at Riverland Community Q: If you were on a deserted always have a long list of books I College island, what books would you want to read. bring? Q: What would be on your A: I can only pick 5? “The bucket list? Prophet” by Kahlil Gibran, “A Wrinkle in A: I want to see “Hamilton” and “The Book Time” by Madeleine L’Engle, Collection of of Mormon” on Broadway. I would actually Poems by Rumi, “The Alchemist” by Paulo like to read all of the books on my reading Coelho” and “Where the Sidewalk Ends” by list; though with every book I read, I end Shel Silverstein. up with two more to add to the list, so this A: If you could have starred in one movie may end up being an impossible thing to or TV show, what character would you be? accomplish. I would also like to travel and Q: I would have wanted to star as Captain see as much of the world as possible. I enjoy Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starseeing new places, being exposed to new ideas, cultures, and ways of living. It helps to ship Voyager. I was obsessed with this show when I was in high school and really admired expand my understanding and view of the world and life. this character. She was a strong, intelligent
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Progress 2017
RENTAL GUIDE
Ann M. Bode, Ph.D.
Rhoderick E. Brown, Ph.D.
Cancer Biomarkers and Drug Resistance
Membrane Biochemistry
Professor and Associate Director
Professor
Margot P. Cleary, Ph.D.
Mohammad Saleem Bhat, Ph.D.
Professor
Assistant Professor
Nutrition and Metabolism
Molecular Chemoprevention and Therapeutics
Edward “Ted� Hinchcliffe, Ph.D. Associate Professor
Young-In Chi, Ph.D.
Cellular Dynamics
Assistant Professor Structural Biology
Ningling Kang, Ph.D. Assistant Professor
Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis
Yibin Deng, M.D., Ph.D. Assistant Professor
Cell Death and Cancer Genetics
- Zigang Dong, M.D., Dr. P.H. Executive Director
McKnight Presidential Professor in Cancer Prevention Hormel-Knowlton Professor Cellular and Molecular Biology
Sergio Gradilone, Ph.D. Assistant Professor
Luke H. Hoeppner, Ph.D. Assistant Professor
Molecular Biology and Translational Cancer Research
Cancer Cell Biology and Translational Research
Rebecca Morris, Ph.D. Professor
Stem Cells and Cancer
Shujun Liu, Ph.D. Associate Professor
Cancer Epigenetics and Experimental Therapeutics
James Robinson Assistant Professor
Cell Signaling and Tumorigenesis
Anna Sundborger Assistant Professor
Cryo-EM and Molecular Cell Biology