Faces Of Fargo Business: The Romie Family

THE ROMIE FAMILY

(Left to Right) Louie, Lacey, Nick and Vinny

The Romies are a military family through and through. Lacey and Nick met during their service, both are veterans. Now, they have a blossoming family with two sons, Vinny (7) and Louie (5). After 15 years of service, Lacey is retired from the military world. Since 2014, she has worked as a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones. Nick is still in the military and is currently serving as a Maneuver Platoon Sergeant in the Minnesota Army National Guard. We interviewed Lacey to learn how they make it all work.

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What made you want to join the military?

As a junior in Grand Rapids high school, I made a decision at age 17 that would forever shape my future. I enlisted in the Minnesota Army National guard. I did this for three reasons: to serve my country, state and community; to establish a plan to pay for college, and to see as much of the world beyond “The Range” as possible.

How did joining the military change your life?

Joining the military prepared me for life more than I could have imagined. For the first time in my life, I experienced travel and different ways of life. I traveled all over the United States and also partook in a NATO exercise in Europe. My NATO exercise included cross-country skiing up a mountain with a pack on my back. As a parent, I naturally cross country skied with a young toddler on my back in a hiking pack. When folks asked how I was able to do this, I reflected back on my military experience in Norway in 2009.

I served alongside folks from every walk of life and background. The military instilled a winning drive in me to never give up or quit. This drive and determination led to my success in attaining multiple degrees and building a solid financial practice to serve folks in our community.

How did your experience help your career?

My experiences in the military prepared me for a fast-paced career in Finance. The hours per day and work ethic I obtained as a military leader, most definitely prepared me to lead my clients through 2020 successfully. The military assisted me in building a solid foundation as a servant-leader and as a trusted professional who thrives in stressful situations.

I served alongside, over and under military professionals from all walks of life and backgrounds. I gained a diverse skill set, which allows me to have valuable conversations.

With your husband still being active in the military, how do you as a family manage time and raise children? Do you have any tips for people in similar situations?

As a former dual military family, I made the tough decision to hang up the boots after 15 years and 10 days of service. The driving force was maintaining the integrity of our family unit and raising healthy children. I now proudly serve as a military spouse to my husband’s unit in Moorhead. He is a senior leader and works full-time for the Minnesota Army National Guard. My decision to step back on the guard side allowed him to shine, while I consistently care for our two incredible sons. In 2020, he was mobilized

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multiple times. We are a very effective team and include each other in all family decisions, even while he is away serving our state or country.

We have a master schedule and it is color-coded. We map out upcoming deployments, mobilizations and typical activities like sports and family trips. After the mandatory events are on the calendar, we outline everything we want to do as a family, to ensure nothing gets in the way of our time together.

Pro tip - put family events on the calendar and don’t let anything get in the way. Your family is what matters most and what needs to come first.

What have you learned through the military that others in the business community should know?

Folks in the military have immense skill sets. If you take the time to learn more about what they have done in the military and help to translate that to your workforce, you will be able to increase the strength of your business.

Also, the military demands on guard and reserve employees are much higher these days. A quality military service member is worth it and they will bring more diversity to the table and leadership experience. Retired and current military members should have a seat at the leadership table of any company striving for success. Do not underestimate their abilities, instead, help them to translate their military experience into civilian terms.

How has raising a child with special needs impacted your family?

Our youngest son, Louie, is the hardest working person I know. He is a happy, healthy 5 year old, and he also happens to have Down Syndrome. We treat him just like his hero and best friend, his big brother Vinny, who is 7. Louie teaches our family how to focus on what really matters in life. One great example is when Louie gives a hug, he focuses only on that person he is giving a hug to. When you give a hug are you only thinking about that hug, or are you thinking of the next thing you need to do? He also works about 300x as hard to accomplish every single milestone, inspiring me and those around him to do better and be better. He is a great friend and adds immense value to his typical classroom, YMCA basketball team and will be participating in his third year of Tricity United Soccer. He is very active in our community and enjoys swim lessons and will be supplementing his school work with free math and literacy tutoring from GiGi’s Down Syndrome achievement center in Fargo.

It takes planning, patience and a good community to effectively give Louie and his friends the tools they need now, so they are effective members of our community always.

What is one lesson you learned from the military?

One of the biggest lessons the military taught me was to “embrace the suck." I learned this best when I had to lead my platoon in a line through a muddy and swampy field to look for a Raven that went down on base. I told my platoon that they are getting paid for this excellent workout. It was all about looking with a fresh perspective. The way I lead my branch team at the office is quite similar, but of course sans literal mud. We are in the thick of everything together and we are an effective team.