CAREERS
WARMTH AND LIGHT Angela Kupietz talks community, industry and creating a cozy place with La Crosse Fireplace. BY SAM STROOZAS | CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS
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s the seasons change, so do the interests of consumers. While we welcome the crispness of an October day, we will soon be bearing the upheaval of winter as well as the continuation of Covid-19 and uncertain times. However, Angela Kupietz would like to add an element of warmth and light to this wintry equation, one that begins at La Crosse Fireplace. Kupietz grew up in La Crosse and has been with the La Crosse Fireplace team since 2002. She now resides in Brownsville, Minnesota, with her partner of 14 years and four children. Her family tries to be out on the river as much as possible, and when she’s not doing that, she is either reading or spending time with her children.
In 2001, her father began La Crosse Fireplace, and she and her brother later joined—Kupietz as manager and her brother as the current owner. The fireplace business has always been a part of Kupietz’s life. In 1988, her father was part owner of another company, and as a teenager, she would help with tasks such as cleaning and filing. “I never thought this would be the career I would actually go into,” says Kupietz. She also speaks to the sense of community she feels at work. The employees are more family than business, which has aided in the company’s growth and sufficiency. “The average employee has been with us for 14 years,” says Kupietz. “The biggest part of our www.crwmagazine.com OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 15
