9 Who Shine

By Debbie Irmen (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Ben Schierer - City Councilman:

Traveling with Disney on Ice for six years taught Ben Schierer that there’s no place like home.

“It was nice to see different places, but it made me realize they were nice places to visit,” Schierer said. “I knew I’d come back here to raise my family.”

He also knew that if he was going to raise a family here, he was going to get involved to make the community a better place.

Schierer, 34, is a real estate appraiser working with his father at Schierer Appraisals in Fergus Falls.

While perhaps not the youngest person to ever serve on the city council, he is on a pretty short list. He’s learned each decision comes with its own set of challenges and that there’s far more to every issue than meets the eye.

But it’s also the most rewarding thing he’s ever done, after bing a husband and father, he said.

Friend John Prischmann, who played hockey with Ben in high school, sees Schierer as a big-project person.

“He has, as character traits, passion and drive,” Prischmann said.

“It’s hard to beat what he has.”

Among the projects is a personal one — Ben is building a sail boat from wood, though Prischmann said work on the project has slowed down with the arrival of his children.

And when he gets an idea, he goes with it, his friend said.

“We’d roll into a city and there were those who said ‘it can’t be done,’” John said. “But Ben was able to bypass the negative to make things happen.”

That motivation and drive is apparent to city officials, as well.

He’s a real political junkie,” according to Mark Sievert, City Administrator.

“It’s good to have him involved on the legislative committee. He can go to the Capital on short notice and talk to legislators on behalf of the city.”

In addition to politics, Schierer loves to read, likes U.S. history, helps with youth activities, and is thought to be artistic by his friends.

“He’s always had so many things he is interested in,” said his mother, Jane Shierer.

Jay Cichosz - Attorney:

It’s been a long, winding road for Jay Cichosz, 35, to arrive at where he is today — one of three partners in the law firm of Hastings, Cichosz and Nice.

The trip started with his eye-opening experiences while serving in the U.S. Army, he said, when he went from a sheltered, middle class environment to one with people of every imaginable background and he experienced real poverty and saw death.

“I met people from every color and culture,” he said. “We were all receiving the same pay, doing the same job, had the same haircut; and I found out we’re all pretty similar. It helped me communicate with people from anywhere or any background. (The Army) was one of the best things that happened to me.”

A medical discharge from the Army thwarted his chances of being a law enforcement officer, something he had wanted to do since he was young, but he found practicing law still allows him to help people.

“He meets people where they’re at and he really listens,” said Kathy Sporre, Senior Citizen Program Supervisor. She and Cichosz were fellow students in the 2006 Blandin Community Leadership program. “He really cares about the people he deals with. He’s down to earth and very approachable.”’

Listening is just part of his job. What is most rewarding, Cichosz said, is when two people have a conflict and he can help them find the middle ground. He works with them to find the final thing they can agree upon.

“It’s work,” he said. It’s about give and take.”

Working with the school district task force was also a lot of work, he said. It was immediately clear that emotions were quite raw from previous attempts to pass a bond referendum, and he was one of several who helped bring consensus to the group.

It all came down to listening to everyone, Cichosz said.

Sporre looks forward to what he might do in the future, she said.

“He’s a great community leader,” she said. “He will do much for this community in the years to come.”

Ryan Hanson - Realtor:

Real Estate Agent Ryan Hanson’s dedication to his clients grew to legendary proportions in the business when he closed a deal at midnight, or perhaps it was 1 a.m. As with most legends, the story gets bigger with each retelling.

Dedication aside, Hanson takes the time to learn things, said friend Barry Fabian.

“There are people who have been selling for 25 years, and they don’t have the knowledge that he does,” Fabian said.

Hanson is a real estate broker with Century 21 Vista in its residential department. He was hired four years ago and it’s probably his longest tenure with a job.

In fact, the joke among Hanson’s family and close friends is one question: What job is he going to do this year?

He maintains licensure as an attorney, has sold investments with Edward Jones and worked in the banking industry. However, he soon found they weren’t for him.

“I knew within the first couple of months — I never thought you had to spend 20 years with a company to decide if it was what you wanted to do — it was apparent (the real estate business) was a good fit.”

His wife, Maria, calls him a renaissance man because he knows a lot about a lot of things and does them well.

“He really wants what’s best for his clients,” she said.

“His work ethic is amazing,” said John Olson, broker and owner of Century 21 Vista. “He is very committed to his career.”

While he is committed to his career, Hanson’s interest is really focused on the people.

“It’s a happy place when people are going to buy a house,” he said. Sometimes they don’t know what they want and I can see their eyes light up when they find it. You really become a part of their lives when just two weeks prior you didn’t know them at all.”

His indomitable spirit may take on legendary status, too, before very long.

“He always looks on the bright side of every situation,” Olson said, recounting the time he bought a house on Swan Lake and not long afterward that a hail storm destroyed every vehicle they owned. “He wasn’t affected at all.”

Katrina Wass - Attorney:

A childhood conversation about what she’d do if she won a lot of money was surprising: Katrina Wass would have taken her entire sixth-grade class to Disney World. Not just a few of her closest friends, because she knew some kids didn’t have the chance to travel.

That desire to help others is one reason Wass became an attorney. She is a junior partner with the Pemberton, Sorlie, Rufer and Kershner Law Firm in Fergus Falls.

“I think we all try to find our strengths and mine seems to be standing up for people,” she said. “I think I can do it and get some satisfaction from it.”

Wass, an Underwood native, is all about balance in her life. When her life has been out of balance, she was unhappy. One of those times was when she began her legal career.

“I was surprised how difficult that was,” Wass said. “There was a period of time not everything was balanced. I just worked and slept, for a long time. That was not a happy time.”

Being organized and productive, while helpful in her career, also allows her time and energy to be involved in the community, and perhaps most importantly, at home as a mother.

“She doesn’t talk law at home,” said her husband, Lee Larsen. “She’s a very good mother. She works hard and then comes home and Esme has her full attention.”

Even as a child, Wass wanted to do everything, participate in everything and really enjoyed people, said her mother, Susan Groff.

“She always reached out to people, whether they were friends or not,” she said.

A perfectionist and a hard worker, according to Steve Rufer, Wass turns out top-quality work. He is confident turning over clients to her when necessary, knowing the job will be done right and the client will be satisfied.

“Some of my clients want someone with experience,” he said, “and if she does work with a client of mine, they are satisfied with her. They don’t come back to me for the experience.”

Sara Piekarski - Manager:

A natural disaster provided the springboard from which Sara Piekarski, 30, launched her passion for community service.

Piekarski was a student at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks when the 1997 flood ravaged that community.

“The whole flood thing was so surreal,” she said. “We’d get to class and our professors would tell us to go sandbag; that was our assignment.”

The work was hard, she added, but so rewarding.

“It was cool to see kids from all walks of life working side by side.”

Piekarski is the manager at AmericInn in Fergus Falls, a position she has held since 2001.

Her family and friends aren’t surprised by her enthusiasm for whatever she gets involved with: They say she’s not afraid to roll up her sleeves and get the job done.

“She is bubbly, enthusiastic and direct,” said her mother, Donna. “She seems to get her energy from working for a cause and being with others.”

She carries a huge load being a single parent, according to her sister, Sheri Meis, but she also has continued her community activities, including involvement with her church, Jaycees, Noon Kiwanis and various classes at the YMCA, all on top of her job.

“She is a good mom and is very invested in her family,” Meis said. “I’ve been looking up to her for years and give her a lot of credit for being a leader in the community.”

Perhaps one of her gifts is the ability to make things look easy, said friend, Margie Gettel.

“She’s such a multi-tasker,” she said. “She puts her whole heart and soul into whatever needs to be done.”

The word that comes to mind when Gettel thinks of Piekarski is “people magnet.”

“She is so enthusiastic, so up, people are naturally drawn to her,” she said. “Sara helps people look at things with a lighter heart.”

Piekarski credits watching PBS with her overall attitude towards people and community service.

“You learn stuff watching PBS,” she said. “I love people. It doesn’t matter which walk of life you come from, everybody has something important to share.”

Matt Philaya - Pastor:

The Rev. Matt Philaya is concerned about leaving this world a better place environmentally, say his close friends, but his primary thought is about his impact on people, said colleague and friend, Matt Martin.

“Matt’s a great guy. He is passionate about not leaving any negative impact on the earth,” Martin said. “He will leave a positive impact on this community.”

Philaya, 35, is the associate pastor at First Lutheran Church in Fergus Falls. Among his duties is planning educational events and preaching.

One example of Philaya’s concern for others was demonstrated to Martin while at a retreat for pastors and their spouses. Typically it is a time for pastors and their families to be together without the usual pastoral concerns to interrupt.

When Martin’s wife had to take their children home, it left him alone, but Philaya and his wife, Jenny, took him under their wing, he said.

“Instead of enjoying some family time for themselves, they didn’t blink an eye,” Martin said. “They took care of me. Their agenda went out the window and they asked how they could serve me.”

He is naturally a very caring individual, said his wife.

“When he talks about people,” she said, “he talks like he really cares about them and their needs.”

Philaya didn’t choose the ministry, but God was calling him to be a pastor, he said.

He worked in photography for a while, then at a hardware store and also taught English as a Second Language in Finland for half a year.

Upon his return, the call just got stronger. At the time, he and his family were involved in a church in Perham.

“We really liked being involved in the church,” he said.

He is also passionate about the environment and makes every attempt, he said, to be green.

“I’m a passionate composter,” he said. “It’s cheap and gives me a chance for some exercise. I’ve stopped off at people’s houses and asked to take their leaf bags. We try to keep the dirt clean.”

Christy Jensen - Shop Owner:

At age 6, Christy Jensen was paid a quarter by her entrepreneurial parents to sit quietly in the corner while they conducted business. And at 7, she was hauling tires from the basement for customers.

At 19, she bought herself a job when she opened a sub sandwich and pizza shop, and last year, she bought her love: a quilt shop.

“Both my mom and I love to quilt, so I thought this would be just the perfect fit,” the Fergus Falls woman said. “I was afraid someone else wasn’t going to take that plunge and Fergus wouldn’t have a quilt shop.”

While completing her education, Jensen, 41, continued working alongside her parents at Pine Plaza, selling appliances and parts, and keeping books for the appliance and RV division of the business.

She still keeps the books for Pine Plaza and the RV shop, as well as operating Quilter’s Cottage.

Her mother, Donna Kimball, said her daughter has always been busy.

“She was quite a lively girl,” she said, recalling the day Jensen bounced from the car to turn a cartwheel — which resulted in a broken collarbone at age 4. And another time, running around the house playing matador with her brother — which resulted in a broken fish aquarium. Most of her energy has produced quite different results as an adult.

For 18 years, her husband, Brett, has watched her work her “gameplan,” and successfully meet her goals.

“She’s always dedicated to whatever she does,” he said. “She always gives 200 percent.”

Jensen admits she’s compulsive, but in a positive way.

“If it’s not done, it drives me nuts,” she said. “Things have to be in order; it makes things so much easier.”

In addition to quilting, Jensen likes working with stained glass, a hobby she’s been too busy to touch since buying Quilter’s Cottage in June 2007; and bowling, which she said gets her out of the house and provides an escape from her work.

“I have made the board, but it hasn’t happened often enough,she said. “But I really don’t care if I bowl a 10; it’s my night away.”

Scott Colbeck - Principal:

Whether dressed as a king and reading a proclamation or dressed in a business suit at his desk, Elementary school principal Scott Colbeck is serious about education.

“He treats his work like a profession instead of a job,” said Middle School Principal Dean Monke. Colbeck was Monke’s assistant principal for six years. “He takes great pride in his work. There is great respect for him across the community.”

Colbeck, however, didn’t arrive on the administrative track easily.

He has a passion for coaching and considered a teaching position with coaching rather than going the administrative route.

Colbeck, 39, now enjoys some of the same benefits of coaching in refereeing games, without some of the other pressures, he said.

“I’ve been asked why I would go from an environment where people are sometimes unhappy with my decisions to one where they are equally upset with the calls,” Colbeck said. “But officiating isn’t stressful. After officiating a game or two, I find it isn’t until driving home that I have a school thought. It’s a good stress release.”

What helps him keep complaints in perspective could be called a guiding principle, Colbeck said.

“You have to remember that in education, you are dealing with people’s most prized possession — they are passionate about their children,” he said. “When you have children yourself, it’s that much easier to understand where they might be coming from. Often you can work through most situations that come along.”

Colbeck is comfortable changing from the serious administrator to playful king for his young charges, such as when he proclaimed February reading month. Or when he pulls out and plays Christmas carols on his baritone for the children. But it is his family that sees the most playful in Colbeck.

It’s his wife, Debbie, who plays the straight gal to her husband’s teasing nature.

“He’s always joking around,” she said. “I have to look at the kids and say ‘Dad’s just joking.’”

Paul Lundeen - businessman:

His outward countenance is quiet and reserved, but Paul Lundeen’s friends know another side.

“He has a quick sense of humor,” said longtime friend, Tom Frerichs. “He can’t contain himself when he’s with his friends. He’s not a bit quiet. His nickname in high school was “‘Spaz.’”

His wife, Mary Beth, sees his reserved nature rather differently.

“He feels sure in his place,” she said. “He loves what he does and he loves to help people. He’s very civic-minded.”

In fact, growing up, many people close to Paul believed he wanted to live far away from Fergus Falls. But all along, he knew he wanted to step into the family business, Victor Lundeen Company.

“He wasn’t pleased with the jobs he was finding,” Mary Beth said. “His two years (away), I think, helped him realize this was the place to be.”

Among the jobs the 39-year-old worked at prior to joining his parents in the family business, was in the pits at Frontier Ranch, a Young Life camp, in Colorado, washing dishes.

He also worked for a moving company in Minneapolis, which at one time was contracted to moved files for the FBI, a skill he paired with his desire to help, according to Frerichs.

“He’s so willing to help anyone who is in need,” he said. “Last summer, I happened to be talking to Paul and mentioned I was going to be helping my sister move. I jokingly said since he was the moving expert, we could use his help. Well, that weekend, Paul showed up to help. We were both just overwhelmed.”

That’s just one example of his generous nature when it comes to others, Frerichs said.

“He’s not looking for any kind of credit, though. He’s doing it absolutely out of the goodness of his heart,” he said.

Lundeen may not seek credit for his deeds, but he wants to make a difference and felt it was more likely to happen in his hometown.

“I like it that by doing things correctly, I get to make a difference,” he said. “In a big city, you are one person in a big cog.”