Employee appreciation is more than empty gestures

September 30, 2026

I have always believed that if you want good people, you must treat good people like they matter. That sounds simple. It should be simple. But too often, employee appreciation becomes nothing more than words. We tell employees they are valued. We tell them they are appreciated. We tell them they are the backbone of an organization. Then we go right back to doing things the same way we have always done them. And those employees see it, they feel it and they are tired of it. Words matter. But words without action eventually become empty. That’s where we are, already. Real employee ...

Not a Jimmy or Debbie in the bunch

September 28, 2026

Having spent the past 70+ years spelling my name for people who have never heard it before, I am particularly observant of unusual given names. Though I wanted to be a Billy or Tommy when I was a kid, I’m okay with Arvid. It has served me well over the years. My ancestors came to the United States from northwest Germany’s East Friesland region and from the Netherland’s Groningen and Friesland provinces. My mother, named after an aunt, was given the Old Country name Harmina (hahr-MY-nuh.) Harmina Catherina. Mom claimed she didn’t like her name but I thought it was ...

Let not your hearts be troubled…have faith

September 25, 2026

What stills the heart and comforts the troubled conscience? Only the Gospel of Christ Jesus crucified and raised for sinners. Jesus says to His disciples in John 14:1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” Trouble and worry can come upon us from all sides. Worldly dangers threaten our mortal bodies, temptations bombard us every waking hour, and Satan seeks to undermine our faith with the old evil question: “did God really say?” (Genesis 3:1). Psalm 46 and Psalm 91 remind us of the Lord’s providence and protection. The Holy Spirit says through ...

Is our team broken?

September 23, 2026

I believe in working as a team, I like building relationships, and I like to be open about everything that I do. Ask anyone who has ever worked with me. I give a lot of details. If you read what I write, that is often the case. But I’ve done this in every area of my career. I’ve created financial reports that are easy to read, information that goes to everyone that is involved. Newsletters that explain things in depth. Open conversations. So it’s disturbing when I hear from our elected officials that all the departments need to work together better, then not see them ...

Old station wagon helps us remember

September 21, 2026

My 40-something daughter loves learning. After earning her PhD and securing a good job she learned to play jazz guitar. More recently she began art classes. When she gave me a belated Father’s Day gift a few weeks ago, it was accompanied by her illustration of our family’s most memorable automobile ̶ a 1977 Dodge Royal Monaco Brougham station wagon. We acquired the station wagon a few months after our daughter was born. A Dodge Dart had taken good care of us until we also needed to take along baby things. Our four-year-old son was growing fast and now the Dart had become ...

Public meetings should be more public

September 18, 2026

The value of reading and understanding local issues has never been more important than it is today. It is such a basic part of our education and it is critical not just to learn, but also for making decisions. In public life and in the corporate world, board meetings are held to inform board members about what is happening when they are not in the room and to give them information to help make decisions. Detailed written reports, financial reports and summaries are usually part of what is given to board members. By not expecting this or not reading this information thoroughly, bad ...