On the Street business news, Oct. 20

Alexandria Industries recently appointed Tom Welle director of engineering.

Welle will join a team that will establish the company’s overall strategic direction, manage, and support the assessment of business needs. His focus will be development and administration of engineering, continuous improvement, quality, strategic initiatives, automation, and manufacturing technology systems.

Welle has 30 years of experience in the manufacturing industry with 29 of those years at Alexandria Industries, where he filled a variety of roles.

Welle’s Project Management Professional (PMP) certification and expansive experience in planning and execution will continue to bring value to Alexandria Industries, the company said. “Tom has been a valued employee at Alexandria Industries from day one. We are excited to see him continue to thrive and use his passion to help drive our engineering department to increased success,” said Joe Schabel, president, operations and engineering, Alexandria Industries. “It was obvious to our entire leadership team that he would be great for this role. We realized that Tom’s passion for continuous improvement, both on a professional and personal level, will strengthen the department and all those they work with.”

Most recently, Welle served as strategic initiatives manager where he spearheaded numerous projects, one valued at over $18 million, and included teams of up to 120 individuals. Prior to this, as senior automation engineer, Welle was deeply entrenched in the production of custom components and the equipment used to manufacture them. His role ensured that customers’ components were completed efficiently, consistently, and met high-quality requirements.

First Western Bank and Trust kicked off its fifth annual Volunteer Days (Oct. 2– 6) by collaborating with local charities, non-profits, and other organizations to improve each community they serve.

Each year, First Western employees collectively give over 1,000 hours of their time through service projects, fundraising, and wide-ranging volunteering, most occurring during the work day. The volunteer activities vary and benefit many different types of organizations. A small example of volunteer activities include packing meals at local food banks, donating blood, grounds keeping, making tie blankets for local shelters, visiting seniors at assisted living facilities, and more.

“Volunteer Days has become a proud tradition, one that resonates in the hearts of each employee in every region we serve,” said Chairman, President and CEO of First Western Bank and Trust, Brenda K. Foster.

First Western Bank and Trust employs approximately 350 people across 18 locations in North Dakota, Minnesota and South Dakota.

Arvig’s longtime annual golf event – the Arvig Golf Classic – swung into its 39th year with its largest-ever turnout, a new name and a refocused direction for 2023 and the future: financial support for charitable causes.

The Arvig Golf Classic is now the Arvig Charity Golf Classic. The event was revamped this year to focus on raising money for charities that benefit the area. The 2023 tournament, held Aug. 9 at Tianna Country Club in Walker, successfully raised $7,750 from 31 participating teams. Arvig offered a 100% match of the funds raised, bringing the grand total to $15,500.

The money will be donated to the Minnesota Telecom Alliance (MTA) in support of MTA’s Alliance Foundation Scholarship.

“It’s an incredible honor to be able to give back and support an organization that encourages higher education for the future leaders of our communities.” said David Arvig, vice president and chief operating officer at Arvig. “Arvig’s annual golf event has always been a great way to connect with industry members, share in some friendly competition on the course – and from here on out – raise money to support good causes in the area.”

Over the past 10 years, 15 students in the Arvig service area have received a MTA scholarship.

Headquartered in Perham, Arvig is a local, employee-owned broadband and full-service telecommunications provider.

If you have an item for “On the Street” business news, email it to Editor Al Edenloff at aedenloff@echopress.com.

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