women in business

WBinbusiness

women

Supplement to the october 23, 2011 contAct

A mAgAzine FeAturing buSineSS Women From eASt otter tAil county

ELEMENTARY TEACHERSKim AkerRita AskewTeri BauckLaurine BraukmannJulie EkrenCynthia GrothmannNancy HendrickxTrudy IronsRuth KoehlerAnn MyersMegan MyersAngela PaavolaJulie RudBarbara TumbergBridget Weller

ELEMENTARY/SECONDARY TEACHERSDebra BlombergAlissa BormannRebecca ClarkseanConnie GriffithMarilyn KunzaJo Ellen RudnitskiMaria TheisenAlyce TomporowskiCheri Tumberg

LIBRARYASSISTANTSLori NewmanNancy Schik

SECONDARY TEACHERSJoy CooleyTherese CaseAmy DrakeHeidi DresserSuzan EversonShana HenschTrinna SaewertAmy KoskelaTammy OlsonJodi Raser

OFFICESTAFFMary HendrickxLinda ImdiekeMarsha MakiAmy MindermannArlene ScheideckerKay Tougas

FOOD SERVICEHeidi HoffmanDenise Hudson Kelly LeaderbrandMary RoggenkampMary Ann TumbergAnjanette Wiirre

BUILDING/GROUNDS MAINTENANCE & CLEANINGJudy FischerKelly Leaderbrand Sharon PeralaNicole RogersMary Ann Tumberg

INTER-DISTRICT STAFFJune Martin Kathy RuttenKathy SaloJane WankelAmy Zamzo

CLASSROOMPARASKatrina AhoMaria BachimCindy BeckerAlice DittmannSher ElkinVicky JacobsonDenise KupferKelly Meyer-FlatauKaren OelschlagerLisa RudolphKaren ThompsonTonya WhiteJulie WittChelsa Wegscheid

TRANSPORTATIONKim AndersonKelly Lee

COMMUNITY EDUCATIONDeborah RobertsIrene Sandback

NURSINGSERVICESJeni GundersonDeb Ziegler

TENDER HEARTS HOME CAREMegan Anderson Dawn Barvels

EARLY CHILDHOOD /JR kINDERGARTENLisa StroeingBev WittNancy Witt

FOSTER GRANDPARENTSKathryn AlbinLavonne AplandPatty Jokela Mary Lee Maki

to the women of

Thanks

SchoolS

Jodi RaserGuidance Counselor

Amy MindermannSecretary

Tammy OlsonArt Instructor

Suzann EversonBusiness Instructor

Therese CaseEnglish Instructor

Rebecca ClarkseanMusic Instructor

Lisa RudolphParaprofessional

Kelly FlatauParaprofessional

Trudy Irons1st Grade Instructor

Cindy Grothman1st Grade Instructor

Maria TheisenSpeech

Secondary School

elementary School

New York Mills

Women in Business 2011 1

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325 2nd St. SE • PErham, mn • 218.346.6508

218.346.6508

2 Women in Business 2011

GENERAL MANAGER Melissa Swenson

BUSINESS MANAGER Sherri Lefebvre

SALES REpRESENtAtIvES James Mulcahy • Deb Spiczka

EdItoRIAL Trisha Marczak • Marie Nitke

Connie Vandermay • Heidi Kratzke

pRodUCtIoN CooRdINAtoR Cindy Gilster

AdvERtISING dESIGN Luanna Lake • Veronica Marjamaa

Pam Bauer • Alycia Jensen Carol Finseth • Rachel Poser

Jenn Hanisch

CovER dESIGN Luanna Lake

MAGAZINE dESIGN Sara Leitheiser

RECEptIoNISt Connie Vandermay

222 2nd Ave. SE • Perham, MN 56573 p: 218.346.5900 • f : 218.346.5901

www.eotfocus.com

Royale Resources, Inc. is a service oriented company owned exclu-sively by three women of Perham and surrounding communities. Royale Resources provides three major service lines; payroll processing, flex plan administration and employee leasing.

Payroll processing utilizes our expertise in timely and accurate payroll pro-cessing. This frees up your time as a business owner or office manager to perform other duties.

Flex plans offer an affordable way for small and large employers to extend their employee’s benefit packages. Our administrative team provides knowledgeable processing of claims with checks usually reaching partici-pants much sooner than out of town services.

Employee leasing offers an alternative to managing your own employer taxes and workers compensation insurance. We handle most aspects of employ-ment allowing you to run your business more efficiently.

Stop in and see Connie Mort, Crystal Collins or Rhonda Olson at 154 1st Ave. S in Perham or call 346-3000

for a quote and information.

Connie Mort, Crystal Collins and Rhonda Olson

InsideInformatIon central Mary Hendrickx: The ‘go-to’ for NY Mills Elementary . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Gone fIshInG, for Good Lund Pro-Staffer Marianne Huskey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

lIfe of learnInG M State’s eCampus Dean, Jill Abbott . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

a ‘GrowInG’ busIness The women of Jean’s: The Right Plant Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

clerk work Ottertail’s Clerk-Treasurer Elaine Hanson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

woman of PrIncIPal Heart of the Lakes Elementary’s Kari Yates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

brInGInG outsIde In Sandy Weis goes to nature’s door for home decor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

fInnIsh femme Amy Tervola Hultberg keeps her culture close . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

carInG for kIds Jill Shipman shares a Kinship with the community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

sIsters In busIness Pat Helmeke and Sue Von Ruden: Dynamic Duo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

30 years In the factory For Becky Westhoff, work is a Barrel O’ Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32


MARCZAK EditorTrisha

Welcome to our new and improved Women in Business sec-tion. We hope you enjoy the magazine format as well as the stories about area women within.

We had so much fun putting this magazine together! Each time Trisha, Marie or Connie would get back from an interview, they would be bubbling with excitement at how wonderful their interview subjects were. Whether it was an empowering story that Marie had heard from Jean Johnson or sisters Sue Von Ruden and Pat Helmeke doing Charlie’s Angels poses in front of the Focus building, it was obvious that a good time was had by all!

So as to the women who inspire the women of the Focus? I think their answers refl ect who they are as people. Dedicated, hard working, family ori-ented and funny and I’m lucky enough to be able to work with them! How cool is that?!

Who inspires me? I would have to say my daughter, mother, mother-in-law, sisters, nieces, friends and co-workers are certainly at the top of the list. Pro-fessionally? Sue Dieter, publisher of the Morris Sun Tribune and Jody Hanson, publisher of the Echo Press in Alexan-dria have inspired me beyond belief. And I can’t leave out the hard-working women in Detroit Lakes at our produc-tion and print facilities who continue to have full heads of hair, even though I know we give them plenty of reasons to pull it out!

As you fl ip through the pages of the magazine, we hope you’ll take note and patronize the places of business that have shown their support for this project. Thank you advertisers! We couldn’t do it without you!

And to the women who allowed us to interview them...thanks for letting us

tell your story.

NITKE News EditorMarie

VANDERMAY Receptionist/Staff WriterConnie

GILSTER Production CoordinatorCindy

SPICZKA Marketing RepresentativeDeb

LEFEBVRE Business ManagerSherri

My generation has seen women’s roles transformed from stay at home moms to be able to go into every possible profession. I look at all the women I have met both profes-sionally and personally and realize that each one in their own uniqueness is inspirational. It is amazing how far women have come ~ and what the future holds for all of us.

My grandma is a woman with more talents than I will ever, ever dream of having. She is always fi nding the positive in everything, puts her faith and family fi rst no matter what, and still to this day at the age of 85 works hard and has a smile on her face at the end of the day. Put all of that together and she is exactly the woman I want to be, now and when I’m 85.

I’m inspired daily by the women I work with – a great group of gals who are movers and shakers – who set goals and meet objectives with enthusiasm [and humor]… and all under the big umbrella we call ‘deadline.’

People who can laugh at themselves and some of life’s un-fortunate incidents inspire me. Not to sound like everyone else…but I grew up with my Mom saying, “Find the funny side and laugh.”

I’m most inspired by women who are smart, witty and not afraid to step outside the box -- in fact, they LIVE outside of it. My fi rst and former editor, Beth Bily, has been my biggest source of professional inspiration. A great motivator, she’s dedicated to her work and doesn’t shy away from uncomfort-able issues or situations. She’s a no-nonsense, frank woman -- good or bad, I always know where I stand with her.

I mountain bike raced this summer with a 65-year-old woman. She was amazing! She was excelling in a sport that most people can’t even handle. One day after a race, she mentioned to me how she passed her husband on the course. Talk about inspiring. You go, girl!

Who improved Women in Business sec-tion. We hope you enjoy the magazine

theof the

SWENSON MelissaGeneral Manager


ary Hendrickx would rather not be called ‘the mom of the New York

Mills School.’And even though her extremely

organized, efficient style makes her the first person kids, parents and staff turn to for answers, ‘mom’ doesn’t really describe her duties effectively anyway.

The Queen of Communication is probably a more appropriate title.

As the NY Mills Elementary School secretary, Hendrickx is the main com-munication hub. The school has a strict system in place, set for both security and accountability reasons, in order to ensure student safety. Hendrickx is the key part of this communication between the school and parents.

When kids don’t come to school, she will call the parents to make sure they are home sick.

“If a parent thinks they sent their kid off to school, and they are not here, then we need to figure out where this child is right away,” Hendrickx explained in an interview.

Throughout the day, phone calls and notes come to her with changes in students’ normal after-school routine. Hendrickx adds them to her color-cod-ed list organized by teacher, which she announces at the end of each day. Her list helps her keep track of who is sup-posed to be going where, so students, parents and teachers can check in with her about the plan.

At the end of a typical school day in October, one little boy popped in the office wondering if his Mom had called to say she was going to pick him up. With a quick glance at the list, Mary said, “Not yet, but I will let you know if your mom calls.” Then she adds, “If

you don’t hear from me by the end of the day, then you need to do what you normally do after school.”

Of course, every system has its kinks. Kids forget the plan, and go about their normal schedules. Parents call in after school has already been let out. Teachers are out on the play-ground when Hendrickx tries to deliver messages.

But like every good system, the strongest part is in the center, and Hendrickx is in the center of it all. She uses all of her resources – phone, pager, radio to bus drivers, and intercom, to track down any needed child.

“Sometimes the kids go missing for a few minutes, but we always find them,” Hendrickx said with a laugh.

It’s obvious the students respect Hendrickx. They bring her little gifts, they glumly give her the cell phone that

mary hendrickx sits at her desk at the elementary school.

Queen of communIcatIonSTORY AND PHOTO BY CONNiE VANDERMAY

MElementary secretary is key contact person for staff, students and families


they aren’t supposed to have on school grounds, and they always come to her with their questions first.

It’s also obvious that Hendrickx respects the kids. She calls them all by name, quickly helps them out if they come to her to get papers copied or laminated, and sternly yet gently reminds them of the rules. And of course, she accepts all their gifts with a smile.

“This job has many perks,” Mary said as she accept-ed a cupcake from a junior kindergartener. “If I ate everything that they brought me, I would roll out of here.”

“I couldn’t ask for a better job,” Hendrickx said of her 18-year career at New York Mills School. She started as a paraprofessional and now is the full-time secretary.

She said she likes how everyone at the school -- staff, support staff and teachers -- works together.

Who Inspires you?“The good Lord up above, and my sister who is up above too. They both understand me, help me find the positive in each day, and push me to keep going.”

Hours: Mon. 8-6:30 • Tues. 7:30-5 Wed. 7:30-5 • Thurs. 7:30-1 • Fri. 8-12

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Tender HearTsHome Care

Kerrie Steinbach, owner407 Carlund Pkwy.

New York Mills, MN 56567


t the young age of six, M a r i a n n e H u s k e y ’ s grandfather took her out

on Lake Michigan for her first fishing expedition.

She was hooked.After that first fishing trip, Huskey

spent the next 12 years honing her wall-eye skills on the St. Mary’s River in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Today, she has the distinction of being the only female professional walleye angler. She’s also the only woman on the Pro-Staff at Lund Boat Co.

“I have been running Lund boats since 1997,” Huskey said with pride.

Since then, she has owned five differ-ent models of Lund boats.

“Every single one of them was great,” reported Huskey. Her current favorite model is the Pro-V.

By 2008, Huskey was fishing at the professional level and was participating in a variety of tournaments.

“My ultimate dream was to be on the Lund Pro-Staff,” Huskey said. “At the end of 2008, I received the news that I was accepted as a part of the Lund Pro-Staff. I was ecstatic!”

After being accepted as a part of the Lund team, Huskey had the opportu-nity to visit the Lund Boat plant and did a full walkthrough in New York Mills. During her 2010 tour of the plant, she was grateful for the time she was able to spend with some of the Lund employ-ees.

“There’s such a great group of people who work there,” Huskey said, reflect-ing on her visit. “They believe in what they’re doing and they love to fish.”

Beyond her professional tournament angling skills, Huskey has found her niche in promoting and marketing with-in the fishing industry. She now lives in Wisconsin and travels out to attend tournaments.

Her favorite part of the job is inter-acting with men and women who are looking to better their fishing skills. In 2010, Huskey was awarded the Dave Anderson Sportsman of the Year Award. She was nominated and voted for by 100 of her peers, all of whom were men.

Although there are women who fish at the amateur level, Huskey is currently the only woman in the country who pro-fessionally fishes for walleye.

Even with her full-time commit-ment as a professional walleye angler, it’s important to her to take time to give back as much as possible. Over the last decade, she has spent time volunteer-ing for many charitable organizations such as The Make-A-Wish Foundation, Fishing Has No Boundaries, Walleyes for Tomorrow and Wisconsin Women Fish.

Huskey is a lifetime member of the AIM Pro Walleye Series and serves as NPAA Youth Clinic Director for all AIM Pro Walleye Series Tournaments. Whenever she gets an opportunity, Huskey said, she encourages people to take kids fishing.

“Lund is involved with a wonderful program called Angler & Young Angler,” Huskey mentioned. “It’s so great to be affiliated with a company who is pro-moting the outdoors to our youth. To me, that is one of the most important things.”

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Thanks Linda for always keeping us

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Perham

Linda Kunzafloat!

marIanne huskeySTORY BY HEiDi KRATzKE

Professional walleye angler, Lund Pro-StafferA

Who Inspires you?“My grandmother… No matter what the challenge was in her life, she always stood tall and took care of business in the right way.”

In 2010, Marianne Huskey was awarded the Dave Anderson Sportsman of the Year Award. She was nominated and voted for by 100 of her peers, all of whom were men.


Are you trApped in A cAreer you don’t love?A career in real estate can provide you the path

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Linda Stoll Broker/Owner235 W Main StPerham, MN [email protected]: 218-849-5590Office: 218-346-7672

Our training program is designed to help you become productive and successful as quickly as possible in your career. Our curriculum is delivered to you in phases as you begin and advance your business. From the exceptional training with proven results to the support services available, Coldwell Banker offers unparalleled guidance to its associates.

Coldwell Banker Preferred Partners has been the leading full-service real estate provider in our market and our agents are consistent top producers. With offices in Perham and Pelican Rapids we are proud to be lo-cally owned and operated and are committed to serving the real estate and home-ownership needs of our com-munity putting our customers first.

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Left to right back row: Michelle Bormann, Miriam Mattson, Lynn Tobkin, Jenny Aanenson, Denise Schornack (Owner), Ann Kostynick, Paula Fisher (Asst. Mgr.), Heidi Swenson, and Sarah Wacker (Mgr.)

Front Row: Ashley Stigman, Ashley Bond, Amanda Doll (Jr. Mgr.), Terri Enger, and Emily Tobkin. Not pictured is Leona Rothiger.

We salute our working women!

New York Mills • 385-2765Perham • 346-6750

www.deanscountrymarket.com

Dean’s would like to recognize all the working

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Who Inspires you?“My grandmother… No matter what the challenge was in her life, she always stood tall and took care of business in the right way.”


s a teenage girl, poetry was Jill Abbott’s writing mode of

preference. She spent her high school years

venting her creative energy into the craft, finding herself carried away in the world of language.

Her passion for writing hoisted her into college, where she majored in English education — a field she was primarily drawn to because of the lan-guage element.

During those years in college, she also uncovered a strength in counsel-ing, which led her to pursue a minor in psychology.

“It was something that evolved,” she said of her interest in human behavior.

With a strong education in English and psychology, Jill set out to further develop her gifts.

She worked as an English teacher, a role she loved, and eventually earned her graduate degree in counseling and human resource development. Her internship was at a college, where it was confirmed in her that she wanted to take the next step.

“I really liked the education set-ting,” she said.

Her yearning to go into the post-secondary level of education guided her through courses, eventually lead-ing to her doctorate in adult and high-er education.

a woman armed wIth educatIon

STORY AND PHOTO BY TRiSHA MARCzAK

A“i like to read articles about famous women, but i am really

inspired by everyday women.” — Jill Abbott

Jill Abbott wears a few hats at M State. On any given day, she serves as the Dean of the college’s eCampus, while also working as Dean of K-12 Collaboration.


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In 2001, she took on the role of Dean of Academic and Student Affairs with Minnesota State Community and Technical College (M State).

Today, Jill is the go-to for online students throughout the region. As the Dean of M State’s eCampus, she interacts and assists students around the area with earning degrees that will, in the long run, make profound differences in their lives.

As the Dean of K-12 Collaboration, Jill’s second title, she overseas college courses taught in the high school set-ting.

In both areas – eCampus and K-12 – she’s seen extensive growth over the years. Online classes have become more popular among those who are juggling work and a family life. College courses in the classroom are becoming more readily available to those who want to earn college credits before they walk out of their high school.

Education, thE supEr powEr

Jill is all of the things most look for in an educator - she emits an aura of kindness and compassion and stands firm in her belief that someone who pursues education is equipping him or herself with a power that can never be taken away.

Her experience in counseling is something that has helped her in her current role, as she’s regularly confront-ed with unique situations and is in a position to connect with people — and connect those people with education. When it comes to high school students, she has the privilege of being a part of their journey in education.

“That is rewarding,” she said. “I like to be able to encourage students. Education can really open doors for people.”

Stories of women opening doors through education are actually what inspire Jill the most.

“I like to read articles about famous

women, but I am really inspired by everyday women,” she said.

The women who work to provide for their children, while also pursuing an education, are Jill’s true super heroes.

“I encourage girls and women to take advantage of educational opportunities — I see women every day doing that,” she said.

surroundEd with grEatnEss

In Jill’s eyes, she’s part of a tremen-dous team of educators, all who inspire her in their quest toward a common cause.

“I like the people I work with,” she said. “They’re really caring and talented people.”

She’s also encouraged by the rapid

pace of eCampus and K-12 college courses. Considering they’re con-stantly growing, she’s in the fore-front of something fresh every day — and that’s just the way she likes it.

“I’m not sure what is going to come up,” she said. “There is always something going on.”

As a woman at an administrative level in the M State college setting, Abbot is among good company. M State, she says, has a great repu-tation for women leadership. The past and current vice president of M State are of the ma’am gender, and the current and past provosts of the Fergus Falls campus have been women, as well as Helene Hedlund, Dean of Academic and Student Services at the Detroit Lakes cam-pus.

“We’re not the norm in terms of national data,” Jill said.

Things are on the upswing, though. While M State is above the rest, Jill said more and more women, nationally, are working their way into post-secondary administrative roles.

Jill says she hopes more women continue to feel that they can take on roles that may have, in the past,

traditionally been thought of for men. Science- and mathematics-based careers are being entered into by women more and more – a trend Jill is behind.

“I really hope girls today go into those fields, science and math,” she said.

Who Inspires you?Jill’s main inspiration in her life is her mother — someone who encouraged her to seek out as much education as possible.

“My mom was that person and is that person,” she said.

Raising her and putting her through school, Jill said she didn’t realize how hard her mother worked at the time.

“She grew up during the Depression - she worked hard and was a strong person.”

Jill’s degrees and career in education were a result of her mother’s impression on her life. It could also have to do with the inspiration she finds in everyday women, who are living by the simple rules of hard work.

“She’s always been my rock,” Jill said.


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Carol from At The Window would like to acknowledge the other women

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Debbie Porkkonen has provided 19 years of professional service in a warm and friendly fashion to the New York Mills area. For the past 14½ years she has been broker/owner of Centennial Realty.

Both Christine Lambertson and Bonnie Nelson, continue the tradition of efficiency & professional service offered to the customers of Centennial Realty.

Homeowners… if you’re considering selling your home, entrust your suc-cess to experienced people who are not only familiar with the area, but who, also have a list of buyers searching for property in our area. Selling your home can be an emotional endeavor; Debbie, Bonnie, and Christine can guide you through the process and make the transition to “closing day” a pleasant experience.

Prospective buyers… if you’re considering buying a home, give Debbie, Bonnie, or Christine the opportunity to match your needs with that perfect home. After all, it’s not just finding a house, it’s fulfilling a dream!

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Christine Lambertson, Sales Agent

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The seeds of successStoRy anD photo by MaRIe nItke

Jean’s: a growing business started, owned and managed by women

Jean’s: The Right Plant Place manager Mary Dertinger, founder Jean Johnson and co-owner Jodie Ramsay, outside of Jean’s this October. Not pictured is co-owner Julie Schroer.

ot long after Jean J o h n s o n o p e n e d

her gardening center in southeast Perham, a man stopped by, looked around at all the female workers and asked, “Now Jean, how are you going to do this without a man around?”

An incredulous Jean could only respond with a wide-eyed, “Excuse me?!”

Today, one of the store’s owners, Jodie Ramsay, laughs wholeheart-edly at that story. Pretending to hoist heavy bags of potting soil over

her shoulders – as she’s done many times in real life – she jokes, “How do we do it? Like this!”

Jean’s is the ultimate success story about women in business. Founded by a woman in 1992, the Perham gardening center is now owned by two women and managed by a woman. Of its 25 or so employ-ees, more than 20 are women.

And contrary to any initial doubt-ers, the business is doing very well, thank you.

Jean started Jean’s: The Right Plant Place after her retirement

from retail and office work in the Twin Cities. What started out as a management position at the old Grass Roots nursery in Perham grew into an opportunity to purchase the business, which she did.

After a name change and a move to a new location, Jean’s was born.

From the start, Jean wanted to set her business apart from other gardening centers.

“I didn’t like those big stores that kept a lot of the same plants around,” she said in an interview. “And I didn’t like that people didn’t

N

always know what they were buy-ing.”

So, Jean decided to carry more varieties of plants in smaller quan-tities, rather than vice versa. The current owners have carried on this tradition: Jean’s had more than 300 varieties of hostas this year, not to mention hundreds of perennials, daylilies and many others.

“We’d rather have 30 of 1,200 different things than 1,200 of 30 things,” said Jodie.

Jean also began making her own signage for the plants so shoppers could have a clear idea of what they were looking at. This tradition, too, is still carried on today.

If those signs aren’t helpful enough, the staff surely is – all the employees at Jean’s are gardeners, and many have a specialty. Some grow vegetables, oth-ers grow flowers; some have gardens in the shade, others in full sun; they each have experiences with different soil conditions. Their unique expertise comes in handy when customers have specific questions.

Manager Mary Dertinger, who has worked at Jean’s since 1995, said no two days at the shop are alike. She and her staff find themselves here, there and anywhere at any given time – help-ing customers, unloading trucks, pot-ting and watering plants, making signs, leading educational classes and more.

Jean’s offers Wednesday evening classes in the summers on a variety of topics, such as “Introduction to Native Plants,” photography, or how to make a fairy house. The staff also offers a per-sonalized garden coaching service, for which they offer advice, draw up garden designs and even make house calls.

“We really appreciate our custom-ers,” said Mary. “They’re why we’re here.”

While sustaining the tried-and-true business practices of Jean, the new owners don’t shy away from new terri-tory. Since taking over in 2004, they’ve started a newsletter and launched a website (www.rightplantplace.com).

Jodie Ramsay and Julie Schroer bought the business after long histo-ries of working for Jean – Julie started when she was just 12 years old, and Jodie when she was 17. They grew to love the shop, and consider Jean their mentor. Even after moving away to attend college, they kept returning in the summers to work at Jean’s.

By the time Jean felt ready to sell, Jodie and Julie had both finished graduate school and were leading busy lives in other states. Julie was teaching Biology at Bismarck State College in North Dakota, and Jodie was teaching Biology at Northern State University in Aberdeen, S.D.

Yet when the opportunity arose to buy Jean’s, they jumped at it.

“We just love it,” said Julie. “That’s why we did it. I love our business. I love that the people that work with us are like family. I just think it’s an awesome place to be.”

Despite their full workweeks dur-ing the school year (Julie is now a teacher/advisor at North Dakota State University in Fargo, Jodie is still in Aberdeen), both owners manage to make it back to Perham on weekends and throughout the summer to help out at the shop. They also give garden-ing presentations at various horticul-tural events.

Their individual talents compliment each other well: Jodie takes care of

payroll, website maintenance and the production of the newsletter, while Julie is known as the “cheery, enthusiastic one” who takes the lead during public presentations.

Outside of work, the women enjoy gardening at home, as well – though they don’t all have a lot of time for it.

Jean has an impressive 9,000 square feet of gardens on her prop-erty. Julie and Jodie, on the other hand, are away from home too much to maintain anything more than small gardens. But they said their involvement at Jean’s ensures they’re not missing out on anything.

“We get to live vicariously through other people’s gardens,” laughed Julie. “And I think of the greenhouse as my own personal garden.”

The efforts of Jean, Jodie, Julie and Mary – as well as all the staff through the years – have helped solidify the business’s reputation as a place where the plants are high quality and the advice is priceless.

As a result, Jean’s continues to grow. The shop gets in 150-200 new plants every year, and more new customers keep coming through the garden gate every season.

And those customers – both repeat and new – are what it’s really all about for the women of Jean’s.

“Our customers are great people,” said Jean. “They’re gardeners, and they love it. They’re delightful.”

Who Inspires you?“there are lots of women who inspire us for a variety of reasons. We both really admire Jean for her optimistic outlook and her business sense. We greatly appreciate the fact that she is so generous with her time and advice, and we hope that we can impact our staff and others like she has impacted us.” — Current owners Jodie Ramsay and Julie Schroer



ity business is challenging,” concedes Ottertail City Clerk-Treasurer Elaine

Hanson, “but it’s also exciting.”Hanson got her first taste of city government

while working as a deputy clerk in her home-town of Balaton, Minn. While there, she worked alongside clerk Mary Lee Moore.

“She showed me how to do everything,” said Hanson in an interview, who listed Moore as one of the women who has inspired her the most.

It wasn’t just Moore’s professional talents that impressed Hanson.

“She stood up for what she believed in,” Hanson added. “There were many times she had to get up on her soapbox to tell people how it was.”

Dealing with people is one of the greatest challenges Hanson sees in her job. At the same time, she’s quick to comment on how it’s the people who make her job enjoyable.

“My favorite part of the job is developing a rapport with people and getting to know them better,” she said.

This seemingly simple task is one Hanson

Ottertail City Clerk-Treasurer Elaine Hanson has spent more than a decade in city government working as a clerk. For the past two years, she has ejoyed getting to know the Ottertail community.

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doesn’t take for granted. When work-ing in Balaton she had the hometown advantage of knowing most of the peo-ple she worked with. Even though she said the mechanics of city government are pretty much the same, it took a while to get to know a new community of people.

Two years into her role as Ottertail’s clerk-treasurer, she said she’s finally getting familiar with all of the new names and faces.

In 2002, after stints as city clerk in both Balaton and Garvin, Minn., Hanson and her husband Peter moved to the Vining area. With their kids graduated from school, they decided to sell their place in Balaton and moved into their cabin on East Battle Lake.

When the clerk position opened up in Ottertail, Hanson felt it was the right time to get back into city gov-ernment. She was hired in November 2009, replacing retiring clerk-treasurer

Linda Bjelland.One of things Hanson found the

greatest satisfaction in was her assis-tance with last year’s election.

“We had a clean election,” she said. “It went so well.”

Another highlight was her recent success with helping the city obtain grant funds for the purchase of AEDs (automated external defibrillators) for the Ottertail Community Center and City Hall.

Getting the right information out to people is one of the tasks Hanson finds the most demanding. To help keep citi-zens informed about what’s going on in their city, Hanson recently helped start a citywide newsletter and website.

Looking into the future, Hanson said she’s eager to move forward with the bike path project that will take place in 2012.

“That’s going to be pretty exciting,” she commented. Another fascinating

part of the job has been watching how much the city has grown. Over the past ten years, Ottertail has experienced more than a 25 percent growth rate.

With its rising population and many new ventures, the small town of Ottertail is an exciting place to work.

“Every day is different. If you like change, then this is the place to be,” she said.

Who Inspires you?Mary Lee Moore, the clerk of balaton, Minn. elaine said Mary “showed me how to do everything” and “stood up for what she believed in.”


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nexpected parent meetings, head lice, puppet shows, a fire

drill, and a playground fight at lunch.It’s 1 p.m. on a Monday at Heart

of the Lakes Elementary School in Perham, and Principal Kari Yates has already had quite a day.

Not that it’s unusual. When your job is to help meet the needs of hun-dreds of boisterous young kids and their countless family members, as well as dozens of staff, there’s never a dull moment.

And that’s just the way Yates likes it.

As a person who craves challenge and variety in her work, Yates loves the unexpected. She says one of her favorite things about being a princi-

pal is the diversity of the day-to-day.“On any given day, how I think

the day will go and how it actually goes are two different things,” she said in an interview. “It’s everything from soup to nuts.”

She said this with a smile, because to her, that’s a good thing.

An early bird, Yates usually arrives at school at 7 a.m., in time to pre-pare for the day and greet staff and students. From there, she’s in and out of meetings and visiting class-rooms. She may also be working on grant writing, attendance, review-ing test data, completing state and federal reporting requirements, and intervening with student behavioral issues.

Of course, any number of ‘hic-cups’ may interrupt the already scat-tered routine, and these must be addressed. Maybe it’s a technology issue, or a teacher needs someone to cover her classroom, or an upset par-ent has dropped by.

Somewhere in there, Yates is also trying to keep up with multiple emails and voice messages left on her machines.

Then there are fundraisers to organize and educational initiatives to implement.

The list goes on. It all takes energy and drive and

focus.And at the end of the day, it’s all

worth it for Yates.

PrinciPal with Passionstory and photos by Marie nitke

U rewards, challenges are many for hotL’s kari yates

heart of the lakes Elementary school Principal, Kari Yates, has made her mark at the school.


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“Going into a classroom and seeing it all come together, seeing it work,” she said, is her favorite part of the job.

Yates views her role at the school as one of listener, facilitator, and problem-solver; a calming presence when stu-dents or their families are upset, and a creator of “the right conditions so teach-ers can be their very best, so they can create the best learning environment for kids.”

Teachers at Heart of the Lakes are very successful at this, Yates said. She described her staff as, “amazing, truly phenomenal,” and said she is “humbled every day by all of the good work that goes on here.”

She also sees herself as a resource for kids and families, especially those with extra challenges. Yates said she believes families will always do the very best for their kids; sometimes schools need to provide connections to help them do that.

“Some students need another person in their corner, another adult to connect with. It’s very gratifying to be a part of that,” she said.

A mother herself, Yates tries to look

at family situations through a parent’s eye, and follows the philosophy of, ‘Do unto others as you would have done to you.’

The fundamental frustrations of a principalship are plenty. Trying to make resources stretch in a time of bud-get crunches is certainly one of them; another is trying to stay on top of ever changing and increasingly challenging federal and state standards for academic achievement.

High-stakes testing has become a part of the elementary lexicon, and Yates said it can be difficult to prepare kids for success on those tests while still providing them with other crucial life and academic skills.

Balancing building management with instructional leadership can also be a troublesome issue for principals. Yates said she manages it by prioritizing accountability and high academic expec-tations.

All this and more add up to what Yates feels is perhaps the greatest chal-lenge for anyone working in education – remaining positive.

Educators can’t let themselves be

bogged down and discouraged, she said: “We have to believe in what we can do for every child.”

For all the difficulties educators face, the reward is equally immense: Making a difference in children’s lives.

Yates knew from a young age that she wanted to go into education. She began her career as an elementary school teacher in her home state of North Dakota. After that, she worked in Marshall and Moorhead, Minn., pri-marily in special education, for about 15 years. In Moorhead she also trained as a Reading Recovery teacher – a role that helped her discover her passion for early literacy.

For years, her family had been spend-ing summers at a cabin near Battle Lake, and it was their goal to make a life in Lake Country. After her youngest daughter graduated from high school, Yates felt she had the time to devote to an administrative role. She accepted her first principalship in Parkers Prairie, Minn., where she worked for two years before coming to Perham in the fall of 2008.

“I have done a lot of different things

Yates consults with teachers in the school hallway.


in education,” she said. “I really draw on experiences from every single other thing I’ve done.”

In the last few years, Yates has made her mark on Heart of the Lakes.

She has helped to build what is called an RTI system (Response to Intervention), which she describes as, “a system for how you deliver instruction in the classroom and how you respond when core instruction isn’t enough.”

She has also initiated a backpack pro-gram, which provides more than 50 chil-dren per week with enough food to get through the weekend.

Recently, she and her staff imple-mented, “A More Peaceful Playground,” which introduces kids to common play-ground games, providing them with structured activities in the hope of reducing conflicts.

Also this fall, she spearheaded a campaign to get students, their fami-lies, and school staff to take the ‘20/20 Reading, 10/10 Math Challenge.’ This included getting every single student to

sign a pledge to set aside time outside of school each month for reading and math studies.

Outside of work, Yates is a member of Perham’s Women of FOCUS group. She also belongs to a Professional Learning Community of area elementary school principals – all of whom happen to be women. Yates said this group is a major source of inspiration for her.

A wife, parent of two grown daugh-ters, and grandmother of two, Yates said her personal life is built around her fam-ily and “summers at the lake.”

An avid reader, she’s also a published author – her children’s book, “Eat Your Broccoli,” is on the shelf in the Heart of the Lakes first grade classroom, among other places.

She water skis, snow skis and takes walks to stay active. She’s even a quilter and scrapbooker – or, at least, she used to be.

That was several years ago, back when she had more time.

“Now,” she grinned, “I’m a principal

and I don’t have as much time for those things – but I’m okay with that. I’ve cho-sen this crazy and amazing job. If I do it well, kid’s lives will be better for it. I can’t think of a better use of my time than that.”

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t began with the idea of a winter garden. Something to

beautify the brownness of Minnesota’s winters. Something that could handle being snowed on and frozen repeatedly. Something other than a plastic Santa or a giant blowup snowman.

And who better than Nature herself knows how to survive the seasons?

Using nature as their guide, Sandy Weis and some of her girlfriends decid-ed three years ago to use bare twigs, branches and pine boughs in creative displays to decorate the outsides of their homes.

Since then, Sandy, with her hus-band Ken and three kids, Maraya, 16, Christian, 14, and Travis, 12, turned this basic winter garden idea into a growing wholesale business, called Nature’s Corner.

You may have seen some of Sandy’s products at Jean’s: The Right Plant Place or Blossoms, Birds and Beyond. Or you may have purchased her prod-ucts from the boy’s basketball team, which held a fundraiser with her green-ery at the FOCUS Bazaar.

Beginning in October, Dean’s Country Market in Perham will have outdoor and indoor displays of Nature’s Corner products.

ColleCtion The woods surrounding the Weis

house near Dent have most of the materials readily available.

The Weis family collects branches from Dogwood, Birch, Ironwood, and Diamond Willow and boughs from Scotch Pine, Norway Pine, White Pine, Blue Spruce, and White Spruce.

Almost the entire inventory is renewable and recycled items, like trees and branches, or old wood from barns, doors, and docks.

“The Ironwood tree is a renewable crop, in that if you cut down a tree, 12 more sprout up from that stump,” said Sandy. “Then you wait a few years and go back to that stump and there are perfect sized trunks again.”

They collect as they need, not keep-ing a big overstock of branches. It is best to pick in the fall or spring, when trees don’t have leaves. When they do take branches with leaves, they let the

leaves dry out to ease the job of remov-ing them. Sandy said she’s worn out many leather gloves in this process.

Sometimes the family will buy a whole tree from a local tree farm, but mostly they pick branches off the ground.

“We pick them up and shake them. If they don’t break, then it’s solid enough to make something out of,” Ken said.

Besides nature, the Weis family col-lects old doors, trim pieces, old wooden window frames, and even an old dock. Through word of mouth, many family,

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friends and community members let the Weis family know when they hear of remodeling jobs on nearby homes or barns.

CreatingAfter collection, Sandy and

Maraya break down the branches into various sizes. Sandy makes a wide array of products, needing a large selection of differently sized branches and boughs. The great thing about this business is there is almost no waste.

Sandy said, “I just went through a pickup truck load of branches, and the only garbage was a small wheelbarrow full.”

Whatever isn’t used in design is burned in the stove to heat the home or sauna.

Laughing, Ken said, “It is really hard to clean up after Sandy. I never know what to throw away. Because some-thing that looks like garbage to me, she will make into something else.”

In her workshop, Sandy never uses a pattern or measures before she cuts. She simply creates, going by what looks good, with the product she has on hand. This makes every piece she makes a unique display of craftsman-ship.

In her little shop Sandy lets nature lead the way – an old deck and wooden doors become a bench, old trim and cabinet doors become tables, pie pans become bird houses, twigs become tear drop wreaths, lathe becomes sleds, and branches become crosses. And new this year is the scented pine cone pot-pourri.

Winter garden scenes are made from boughs from five different pine trees. The pine boughs are sold in bundles and can be placed in outdoor flower pots to make a charming display all winter long.

“After you get the boughs how you want them, dump water on them so they freeze into place” suggested Sandy about how to make a winter garden last until April.

For those who have trouble with the

display and decorating part, Sandy also does completed jobs. She sells many products that need only be set down or hung up. Sandy especially enjoys going to homes to set up a complete winter garden.

Using things of nature in their crafts is not an entirely new thing for the Weis family. For the 11 years they lived in Alaska, they made many crafts out of their unique natural surroundings. They collected shells, ebony, sand dol-lars, halibut bone, sea urchins, rabbit fur, and mushrooms called Bear Bread to turn into ornaments, paintings, and jewelry. In keeping with the culture of the area, they made beautiful crafts out of items provided by nature. Once they moved to Minnesota, they had to determine what the people in this cul-ture would like in their homes.

MerChandisingSandy loves the merchandising part

of her business. Most of her merchan-disers are flower and gift shops, which buy undecorated wreaths, bird houses, or crosses and then add their own per-sonal touch. She has a lot of big sellers, but she figures the greenery bundles sell the best.

Sandy also loves the wholesale part, where she gets to stay home and cre-ate projects on her own time, and then let others do the selling. Every couple weeks, the Weis family loads up their trailer and drive their route. At each store the owners come out and look through the items, picking what they want to sell in their shops.

“The best part is seeing their eyes light up when they find something they like,” Sandy said.

Some of the merchants that buy her products are Jezebel’s, Jean’s: The

Right Plant Place, and Blossoms, Birds and Beyond, as well as many flower shops as far away as Fergus Falls and Battle Lake. She displays her completed work at Dean’s Country Market in Perham. She also does make to order, which is where a customer brings in a spe-cial piece of wood and she makes

it into an interesting memento.

dreaMs of BusinessNature’s Corner has been officially

operating for three years, and it is a thriving business.

This year, the New York Mills School asked Sandy to make wreaths for stu-dents to sell for fundraising. She also has participated in fundraisers for the boy’s basketball team of Perham.

Currently Sandy is a full time nurse in Perham, but would love to run her merchandising business full time: “Making something out of nothing is just so much fun.”

Sandy said Nature’s Corner is a fam-ily business. Everyone does their fair share of collecting, cleaning up, and merchandising. Maraya shares her mother’s talent, and helps out a lot in the shop. Christian enjoys the mer-chandising end. And Travis helps with the collection end.

“We want our kids to see that they can make something out of nothing, and that a little imagination goes a long way,” Ken said. “We want to show them that their efforts are not thwarted and if they work hard and get out there they can accomplish a lot.”

Then with a laugh, Ken added, “Plus they like the paycheck.”

Who Inspires you?sandy Weis’s mother, Julie Malikowski. sandy remembers helping her mom make felt and silk flowers for weddings.


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hree generations ago, Amy Tervola Hultberg’s

great-great grandparents immigrated to America. As generations passed, the everyday culture became more American than Finnish. Amy, a fifth generation full blooded Finn, could not speak the Finnish Language. At the age of 15, she pulled the Finnish culture back into her life when she enrolled at Concordia College’s Finnish Language Village.

Now, 20 years later, Amy is the Dean of Salolampi, the Finnish Concordia Language Village.

She is proud of her heritage and wants other Finnish-Americans, or any-one for that matter, to love the culture as much as she does.

The Salolampi Dean responsibilities include hiring counselors and teachers, developing curriculum, and keeping up with the Finnish culture.

“We teach the Finnish culture – how it was and how it is now,” said Amy in an interview.

A different kind of leArning

As a teacher at Detroit Lakes Public Schools, Amy has experienced differ-ent teaching techniques. Concordia Language Villages is “unlike any educa-tional system ever,” she said.

The Concordia Language Villages are unique places to learn 15 of the world’s languages. The learning technique is different because an enrolled student becomes a villager, quickly becoming immersed in the culture of their choice. Villagers live and breathe the language and the culture that comes with it.

This language and culture immer-sion is how Amy learned Finnish all those years ago, and she continues to see success from this technique year

after year. Although she did admit that the Finnish language is the hardest one to learn because, “there are so many different tenses of words.”

The learning of a language goes something like this: Speaking only Finnish, teachers incorporate hand ges-tures when a student doesn’t under-stand. To clarify things further, the teacher may get closer to an item. Hand gestures replace the technique of switching back and forth between English and Finnish, which would be done in typical language classrooms.

Amy said this type of learning style is a more natural style: “When we teach young children to speak, we use a lot of pointing and actions.”

Instructors try not to switch back and forth between languages in order to clarify something.

“Before we can speak a language, we need to comprehend it,” Amy said. “If you can understand another language, that is a big accomplishment, even if you can’t reply yet.”

When villagers pretend that they are in Finland, it makes the learning process real and usable. Wanting the language to be usable, common phrases and words are taught.

“At the Finnish Language Village, when we swim or eat or play games, we say everything in Finnish,” Amy said. “We sing Finnish songs, we make Finnish food, and we do Finnish activi-

Bringing culture homestory and photos by Connie Vandermay

Tamy tervola hultberg makes a life of Finnish language learning

Amy Tervola Hultberg, Dean of the Finnish Language Village, in front of the main building at Salolampi.


ties.” The village is set up just like a village

in Finland would be. There are two sau-nas, an indoor and an outdoor, a store that sells Finnish candy and merchan-dise, and a bank that deals with Euros -- the currency used in Finland.

Activities are based on the Finnish culture, too. Games, songs, crafts and food are of Finnish origin.

The trick, of course, is taking the values of the culture and bringing them into your life outside of camp. This makes villagers well-rounded individu-als with a greater understanding of dif-ferent world cultures.

Bringing the culture home

While Amy spends much of her sum-mer at the Finnish Language Village, she spends her ‘real’ life in New York Mills. She doesn’t leave the Finnish culture back at the village, though; that culture is part of her life every day.

Last summer, Amy and her husband Adam’s house was redone using many Finnish ideas within the design. Her dad, Kenny Tervola, an experienced carpenter, did much of the work him-self with other local craftsmen.

Her dad called her up at Salolampi and asked her if she wanted a red house with white corners: “I thought ‘White corners? Why would I want white cor-

ners? The red is a Finnish trait, but the white corners?’”

Then she looked around Salolampi and noticed the buildings with red sid-ing and white corners.

“I never noticed them before,” she said. “So of course our home is red, with white corners.”

The entire house has wood floors, because “no one has carpet in Finland. Everyone has hardwood floors and beautiful woven rugs,” Amy said.

She added, “Finland is a very nation-alistic country. Finns support Finnish products. Everyone buys the same brand of dishes, the national chocolate, the same kind of phone, and the same kind of material. Even the game Angry Birds was developed in Finland.”

Upholding her own cultural tradi-tions, Amy’s home is filled with Finnish products. She wears Finnish jewelry. Her china hutch is filled with cups with Mummi characters, a Finnish cartoon, and Finnish iittala glassware. Her shower curtain and bedding were designed by the Finnish textile com-pany, Marimekko.

She is also able to share her knowl-edge of Finnish culture, and pass on traditional activities closer to home, by volunteering at the Finn Creek Museum.

She enjoys baking and cooking Finnish foods to share with museum-

goers. She also orders and stocks the Finnish merchandise to sell at the store. Most summers, she teaches a week of Finnish classes for children in our area who want to learn the lan-guage and culture.

Amy will also be helping out on the last two weekends of November at the Holiday Open House and store sale at the Finn Creek Museum.

looking AheAd while looking Behind

“People who are fortunate in their lives have a team of supportive people behind them,” Amy said. Her team includes her husband Adam, who is extremely supportive and flexible, her parents and family, and her mentor and friend Tamara Uselman.

A major inspiration for her is the late Katrine (Keranen) Savoie, who shared the culture and many similar life experiences with Amy. They shared a nickname of the “Finnish old-maids” until they both got married later in their lives.

“Some people are taken from your life before you are given the chance to learn all you could from them,” Amy said.

Life continues to change for Amy, though she tries to hold on to her culture, and pass it along to others. With the birth of their first child soon expected, Amy and Adam look forward to passing their culture on to the next generation.

Amy’s china hutch is full of Finnish glassware and dishes – the cartoon character is the Finnish Mummi.

Who Inspires you?a major inspiration for amy is the late Katrine (Keranen) savoie.


hen Jill Shipman took over the Perham Area Kinship

mentoring program 10 years ago, there was no such thing as Reading Buddies, Girls Are Powerful or Boys R Always Gifted. There were no fundraisers called Stuff the Bus, Kollecting for Kids or Freez’n for a Reason. There was no Boys and Girls Club in town.

What a different a decade makes.Today, thanks in large part to the

efforts of Shipman and other caring community members, a multitude of programs exist to support and enhance the life experiences of local children.

Many of these programs have branched out of Kinship, which started in Perham 16 years ago. Kinship is a mentoring program for at-risk youth; responsible adults are paired with chil-dren to provide guidance and support, help set and accomplish goals, and act as positive role models.

Grants, donations, collabora-tions and volunteers got the program started, and continue to keep it going through the years.

“Kinship is successful because of community support, both financial and in the form of volunteers,” said Shipman in an interview.

After Shipman came on board as Executive Director, the one-on-one mentoring program grew to include group mentoring for young girls and boys, a reading mentorship program for kindergartners, fun and creative community fundraisers, and much more. Kinship started taking some existing programs under its wing as well, to ensure their continued success -- such as Tot-Time and Stories on the Go.

Most recently, Shipman helped get the Perham Area Boys and Girls Club (BGC) going, along with the Re-Use-It Thrift Store, which helps fund the club.

“I try to find needs that aren’t being met,” Shipman said. “Or, I should say, they find me.”

One of those needs, as Shipman saw it, was a need for after-school pro-gramming – a safe haven for kids in that time between the school day’s end

and an adult getting home in the eve-ning. After gathering advice and ideas from the Detroit Lakes BGC, Shipman came back to Perham and got commu-nity members on board with the idea of starting a local club, and it took off.

An advisory council was formed for the BGC, which came up with the idea to start the thrift store. The thrift store and the club both started in the same month, June 2011

“It was crazy,” said Shipman of how busy it was. “I’m still going, ‘Wow, we pulled it off!’”

Shipman credits Perham area com-munities for the success of these pro-grams. Without the generosity of local groups, organizations and individuals, they would not exist; nor would they without hundreds of dedicated volun-teers who devote countless hours of their lives to the kids. Last year alone, volunteers spent more than 5,200 col-lective hours with Kinship.

With a background in sales and marketing and experience working for large companies like Oscar Meyer and

Jill Shipman (center, smiling), helps other community volunteers serve a meal to kids at the Boys and Girls Club of the Perham Area, at Calvary Lutheran Church, in October.

A Kinship with Kidsstory and photo by marie nitKe

W perham supports a multitude of children’s programs

Phillip Morris, Shipman knows how to raise awareness – and funds – for pro-grams.

As the sole employee of Kinship, Shipman is in charge of all the marketing, fundraising, and public speaking that go into keeping the program alive. Her role is to constantly ‘sell it.’ She also does a lot of grant writing and is in charge of special fundraisers for the group, such as the Harlem Ambassadors basketball show that came to Perham in September.

A native of Park Rapids, Shipman moved to Perham 12 years ago from Minneapolis. She and her husband, who owns Antonsen Well Drilling, have three children: a daughter in college and two sons in high school. She is active at Calvary Lutheran Church, where she helps with funeral services. She is also a Perham Lion, and is involved in Perham’s Promise, a non-profit grant writing orga-nization.

Though working with children wasn’t always her passion, Shipman admitted, “It is now.”

Over the years with Kinship, she said, it’s been fun to watch the kids as they grow up, graduate high school, go on to college and careers, and get married – all the while keeping in contact with their mentors. Mentors are asked for a one-year commitment; in the Perham pro-gram, the average is three and a half.

No children are refused from the pro-gram, though the waiting list is long – more than 40 kids are currently waiting for a mentor (while 46 are currently being mentored).

Shipman has set a goal of making Perham Area Kinship a five-star program, which would put it as one of the top pro-grams in the state.

The work keeps her busy, but Shipman said what keeps her going is, “knowing that you make a difference. If you can give a hug, knowing that’s the only hug that kid will get that day… I do it for the kids. They make me come back for more.”

Caring for kids isn’t something that stops for Shipman as soon as she leaves work for the day. She’s a member of the East Otter Tail County Child Protection Team, an experience she said has exposed her to the needs of area children.

“How can anybody not care about chil-dren and their welfare?” she asked. “There are some awesome kids around here in some sad situations.”

And that’s what makes what Shipman and other caring community members do for kids so incredibly important.


Who Inspires you?“my girlfriends. they’re so focused. We inspire each other and keep each other going.”

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Caring. Connecting.Community.A wise woman once had a dream to change the lives of women for the better. Her hope was so contageous that, one person at a time, her dream spread around the world. Today, 45 years later, millions have been touched by the legacy that Mary Kay Ash left. I’m proud to share in her commitment of caring and connecting in communities – just like ours – to help make a difference.

Gail M. LangnerIndependent Sr. Sales Directorwww.marykay.com/glangner(218) 346-3076

kollecting for kidsA local initiative to ensure that all children have coats, mittens, hats and boots. Donations are accepted in the early fall at locations around Perham, including the Re-Use-It Thrift Store, Calvary Lutheran Church, St. Henry’s, United Methodist Church and ACS Retail Center.

reading Buddies Twice a month, volunteers from the community connect with a kindergartner and read and have lunch. They offer each child companionship, their undivided attention and encouragement to find joy in reading. Now in its ninth year, Reading Buddies takes place October through April. There are currently 22 Reading Buddies.

gAP and BrAg These groups are part of Kinship’s group mentoring, focusing on kids in grades 5-9. GAP (Girls Are Powerful) and BRAG (Boys R Always

Gifted) focus on building friendships, nutrition, physical activities, cooking, woodworking and are at no cost to children. Quarterly activities are available to mentors and their matches for fun and friendship building.

tot-time Promotes the use of large motor skills in infants and toddlers with other children and mothers, and is an opportunity to share informative tips on parenting. Parents and children ages birth to five meet twice a month at Perham Community Church.

Stories on the go This program reaches out to children in daycares, homes and Tot-Time, to share stories and music and to promote healthy lifestyles. Local musician Barb Ebert leads the story times, often bringing her guitar along.

Stuff the Bus!More than 200 backpacks were delivered through Stuff the Bus in

2010. Stuff the Bus is a Kinship, United Way and Community Action program in which school supplies and backpacks are collected and distributed to children in East Ottertail County, helping to ensure that all children start the school year prepared.

freez’n for a reasonLast year, 120 people jumped into icy waters for this fundraiser. This year’s will happen on February 11 at Zorbaz.

BuncoThis dice game fundraiser will take place at The Cactus on January 27.

Average Jo triathlonHappening June 29, this will be the ninth year of the event.

For more information about any of these programs or activities, call Kinship at 218-346-7102, or email [email protected].

more informAtion ABout kinShiP’S ProgrAmS And uPcoming ActivitieS:


s children, Pat Helmeke’s and Sue Von Ruden’s lives were

intertwined as sisters, members of a family that supported a culture of car-ing and traditional values.

Today, the two are still connected through their roots, but are also inter-laced through their roles in the Perham community.

With Sue serving as the marketing director for Perham Health (former-ly Perham Memorial Home), and Pat as office manager at Dean’s Country Market, the women are leaders within the local professional society.

Their work ethic within that world, and in the volunteer sector, is seen on a day-to-day basis, but it’s the story behind their current actions that tells the tale of who these women really are.

life on the fArmIn true “Leave it to Beaver” style,

Sue (or Suz, as her sister refers to her) and Pat grew up in a home where their father worked and their mother tended to the six Honer children.

Sitting down for a family dinner was an everyday occurrence – one that the children weren’t able to leave until per-mission was granted from their parents, Bud and Barb.

Summers were spent in rural Dent, filled with long days of outdoor games and imaginary acts of house and school.

Chores were a part of life, including

tending to the family pigs – a task Sue jokes she was able to get out of because of her propensity to chat a bit too much for her father’s liking.

It was at that farm in Dent where Pat and Sue were molded into the peo-ple they are today.

Their parents taught them to be involved, which included playing a role within the church. They also lived by the ‘Golden Rule’ of treating others in a way you would like to be treated your-self.

“They showed us how to live the cor-

rect way,” Pat said, admitting that they all, of course, make mistakes.

Growing up, the Honer kids became used to the concept of looking after one another, even in the midst of the typi-cal sibling brawls.

“In my mind, we had the perfect childhood,” Sue said.

flASh forwArdWhile there are more similarities

that connect the two than differenc-es, those who know the dynamic duo understand there are a few distinctions

A dynAmic duo from the Beginning

story and photo by trisha marCzaK

A“i think people would say, ‘it’s like walking out of high school

– except our hair is different.” — sue Von ruden

As members of the professional community, sisters Pat Helmeke and Sue Von Ruden join together regularly to give back to the city of Perham.


Mon-Fri: 8:30am-5:30pmSat: 8:30am-Noon

Thanks to all my customers

for your support & patronage!

United StateSPoStal Service

New York Millssalutes their priceless

female employees.

Clerk: Julie GerberRural Carriers: Brandy Sanford

Barb LoeffenKim AndersonBrenda Teberg

Back (L to R): Julie Gerber, Kim Anderson

Front (L to R): Barb Loeffen, Brenda Teberg,

& Brandy Sanford

that identify Sue and Pat. Sue began to show her communica-

tion strengths as a young child. Whether talking her way out of chores or stepping up as the Honer representative, she had the knack for public relations.

While it may be plain to see today that a mass communications major only made sense, Sue entered college pursuing a career in computers – a topic that gener-ates a few laughs from Sue now. After a few weeks into the program, her college roommate suggested she’d excel in mass communications. The rest is history. Before moving to her role at the hospital, Sue worked at ACS within the marketing/public relations department.

Pat has been the behind-the-scenes, ultra organized mastermind, even from the start. Her strong organizational skills fit well with her current occupation. The fact that she typically works with people one-on-one also fits well for her preferred communication style.

When it comes to completing a task, Pat prefers to wrap one project up before moving on to the next. Sue, on the other hand, practices the art of multi-tasking, and can’t imagine doing it any other way.

So when the two sisters pair togeth-er to organize a Chamber fundraiser, or another community event, they each fit into their respective roles – Sue, the public speaker, and Pat, the behind-the-scenes organizer.

Pat will tell you that Sue is the one who inspires her to get involved.

Turning to her sister, she said, “It trick-les down to me – you get me involved.”

“I just can’t say, ‘no’ to her,” she said. Looking at each other, the two agreed

that they work well together. “Yeah, we succeed in that,” Sue said. While the two distinct professional

qualities lend to the cooperative atmo-sphere between the two, humor is also a major component.

These girls like to laugh. On most days after work, they can be

found at the Perham Area Community Center (PACC), working away on the elliptical machines, laughing about the day’s follies and discussing what they’re going to make their families for supper.

According to the two, their interac-tions aren’t too different from the way they were back at Perham High.

“I think people would say, ‘It’s like walking out of high school – except our hair is different,” Sue said, a statement that generated a few laughs between the sisters.

Behind-the-SceneSWhen Sue isn’t working, taking care

of business on the Perham-Dent School Board or organizing an event with her sister, her preferred method of relaxation involves a cup of coffee and a good book. Sue is passionate about her reading – so much so that finishing a book is often a bittersweet activity. And when it comes to throwing a book away, she said she couldn’t imagine anything worse.

“That’s like a mortal sin,” she joked, though with a hint of seriousness.

For Pat, it’s all about the quilting. “I like it perfect,” she said.

Sue said Pat’s quilting is something to be admired, as, true to her sister’s form, each garment is immaculate.

The sisters are also extremely close with the rest of their siblings and their parents. Each month, the family gets together to celebrate a birthday – among their parents, siblings, and nieces and nephews, there’s always at least one.

“We’ve been blessed in many ways,” Pat said.

To that, Sue sure can agree: “In many ways ...”

Who Inspires you?pat and sue agree that their parents were – and are – the most inspirational people in their life. so when that choice has to be limited to one gender, it’s got to be their mother. the two say their parents have served as an example of commitment and have passed down to them the characteristics they hope to pass on to future generations. they’ve also noticed the importance of what their parents have taught them, especially as they’ve grown older throughout the years.


A fActory-mAde fAmilystory and photo by trisha marCzaK

“i love my job, i love my work … i love what i do.”hirty-one years ago, Becky Westhoff received a phone call that would forever

change her life. The caller, who had just received her

application for a position in the Barrel O’ Fun factory, informed her that she could start Monday.

Looking back, Becky laughs when she thinks of the simplicity of it all. The year was 1980 – the typical hiring process wasn’t quite as complex as it is today.

When Becky joined the ranks, she worked alongside 74 people. The factory was open for production from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., though sometimes the crew would work longer hours to meet their goals.

The crew was made up of a staff that included a pretty even 50/50 split of men and woman – a typical factory working environment.

Today, Becky’s coworkers include around 850 people. She doesn’t see them all on a day-to-day basis, as the plant has now expanded to run 24 hours, with three sets of shifts.

Becky has loved her job since day one. Mostly, it’s because of the people, many of whom she’s developed meaningful relationships with over the years.

Her dedication to the job has prompt-ed her to get to work every day, even on those days she’s not feeling so well. In 31 years, she has never called in sick.

There were times she did have to miss work, but it was because she was giving birth – a pretty legitimate excuse.

During her time at the factory, she gave birth to two children, who she and her husband have raised. In 1981, she gave birth to Tina. In 1984, she became a mother to Dusty.

In the midst of looking after her two children, Becky carried on at the facto-ry, eventually moving into more skilled positions. For 20 years, she served as a machine operator. Now, she’s known as an assistant supervisor – a title that requires her to wear many different hats.

“I love my job, I love my work … I love what I do,” she said in an interview.

There are around 100 people on her shift. No two days are the same, which is

one aspect she appreciates. “I’m constantly doing things,” she said.

“There are a lot of situations that come up.”

While the off-the-wall scenarios help keep the pace, Becky said she’s really inspired regularly by the people who show up and work the line with dedication.

“It takes a lot of us, every day,” she said, referring to the teamwork that goes into the factory process.

During her time on the line, she’s watched with astonishment as the com-pany has expanded. She’s adapted to new technology, has seen the product line grow and has seen the workforce take off.

And she’s loved every minute of it. “It’s exciting to be a part of that

growth,” she said. Becky said that, while the company

has gotten bigger, she’s never felt lost in the crowd. Essentially, she’s always felt valued and appreciated by her employer.

“What he (Kenny Nelson) has done for us is beyond,” she said. “That’s what makes me stick there.”

Throughout her three decades on the job, the idea of leaving has never come up.

Even on a bad day, Becky picks herself up. But for her work crew, it’s also about being there to encourage others on tough days.

“We’ve become like a family,” she said. “We’re a close-knit group.”

“Caring” and “supportive” are words Becky uses to describe her coworkers, many of whom she’s worked alongside for years.

While she does find encouragement in those she sees each day, they say she’s the one who has been a rock for many.

Her positive messages and up-beat personality are characteristics her work family has come to know quite well.

She has a few key phrases that help put life’s problems into perspective: “I got up this morning – I got to put my two feet on the floor.”

When Becky says that now, she laughs a bit. She broke her foot just days before the interview.

For the first time in years, Becky isn’t allowed to hit the line. While some would enjoy the respite from work life, Becky cannot wait to get back.

Her desire to hit the line once again stems from her relationships with coworkers.

She talks openly about how inspired she’s been by regular people doing what needs to be done. There’s the woman who has had both knees replaced, but shows up every day to work the line. There’s the lady that hops on the forklift and takes charge. Or, she said, there are the people who work in the midst of tough personal situations.

“They’re there every day,” she said. “Those girls you work with – that’s who inspires me to go to work.”

T

In three decades at the plant, Becky Westhoff has seen Barrel O’ Fun take off.

Who Inspires you?Friend and co-worker Vicky schermerhorn, someone whom she admires for her tough work ethic, caring personality and sense of humor. With all of those things in place, it’s tough for becky not to be inspired by her – even when they’re not together.

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perhamhealth.org

Introducing the new Perham Health.

We’ve got strong roots and we’re still growing.

We spend our lives growing, Growing up. Growing wiser. Every step brings new challenges and new rewards.

Perham Memorial Hospital and Home has grown too, into a regional health center. Along with the area’s leading clinics – in New York Mills, Ottertail and Perham – we bring our expertise closer to you. Working with Sanford Health, we can give you the advanced treatment you need, and the hometown care you’ve come to expect.

Of course, we’re still dedicated to making sure you grow healthy. Some things will never change, even at the new Perham Health.

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