On April 22, 1982, a then twenty-year-old Rick Swanberg reported for his first day on the job at the Henning sign shop. "The first sign I helped install was a stop sign on Highway 72 by Zorbaz. I was paid $3.35 an hour, " he recalls. This year he was recognized for 40 years of service with the Otter Tail County Highway Department. Over the years, the shop has moved from Henning to New York Mills to Phelps Mill Park and currently the new highway garage in Battle Lake. Swanberg says this is the where he will remain until he retires.Â
The sign technicians install all vital E-911, intersection, resort and other signs along county highways. They also make customized signs for the area. Swanberg, lead sign technician, has a team made up of two others, Thor Tollefson and Jon Bratvold.
"We do a lot of repairs to signs and reinstalling the signs in the ground. You wouldn't believe how many signs need resetting after high winds," Swanberg said. He added,"No sign goes in the ground until we call Gopher State One Call."
Otter Tail County Highway Engineer, Chuck Grotte, presented Swanberg with a "Forty Years of Service" certificate and a gift to thank him for his dedicated service to the department.Â
For information on growing your career with Otter Tail County, you can sign up for employment notifications at ottertilcounty.gov/jobs.
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