Author: Josie

It’s a Sign!

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At WINCO, we enjoy looking for ways to not only promote ourselves, but our community. When you come to visit us, take Highway 99 so you can see our newest addition, an LED sign.

Project: Watchfire LED Sign
Purpose: Brand awareness, as well as, promoting company highlights and community events.
Challenges: Winter, system interruption

Ground Breaking

Even though we started the project in the heart of a Minnesota winter, we were able to get the support beam in place and secured with concrete. A local electric company was able to get wiring ready as well.

Installation

It was an exciting day when the sign was delivered! Installation was very quick and the sign was ready for content right away. The next day, though, we found out we had the same IP address as another company and were displaying information about Maine. It was a one in a million chance, but the software company worked hard to get everything working correctly. A few hours later, we were up and running.

Content

It has been fun creating content to display. The sign is a way for us to post products, company information, and promote local events and fundraisers. Adding a bit of whimsy, we display what National day it is. Pictured was our National Pet Day display. We were able to display pictures of all of our furry family members.

We have another project in the works. Stay tuned!
– BIG DOG

Get to Know WINCO – Rob

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Name: Rob Wick
Position: Buyer
Hobbies: Road trips, Twins games, traveling, exploring new restaurants, relaxing at home.

Q: How long have you been at WINCO?
A: 42 1/2 years.

Q: Tell me about your family.
A: I met Lynn 10 years ago, who is just a Spark! She makes me smile every day. I have one son and daughter-in-law that live in Duluth, MN and another son and daughter-in-law, plus a grandson in Tennessee. 

Grandson
At the beach
young rob

Q: You have worked at WINCO a long time, have you always been in the Purchasing Department?
A: No, in 1980 I worked in final assembly for 10 years, 2 years in Parts/Service, and 3 years in Sales. The last 27 years has been in Purchasing.

Q: Being at WINCO for that many years, were their any big moments?
A: During the recession in the early 2000s, it was pretty quiet here, but WINCO pulled through without any layoffs. Kudos to WINCO!

old rob

Q: You are retiring this month, what will you miss most about WINCO?
A: All the people and the laughter. There have been some very colorful personalities that have come through that front door.

Q: Where have you traveled to?
A: Before the pandemic – I went to Jamaica and St. Lucia – and fell in love with the Caribbean! Returning is definitely on the “things to do” list.  I also want to show Lynn Yellowstone National Park. I bought a convertible in 2020 and enjoy curvy roads and cruising with the top down. 

Jamaica
Twins
Gophers
Mississippi River
U Betcha
Rob & Lynn

FUN FACT: Rob was a Cub/Boy Scout Leader for 20 years!

Congratulations on your retirement Rob! We will certainly miss your joyous spirit and gift of gab. Enjoy this next chapter in your life! Stop by and visit when you’re in the area!

See you soon!
– BIG DOG

2023 Events

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This year has already been busy!

Expos

February

We traveled to Florida to attend the Spray Foam Convention & Expo and Spray Foam World Wide (SFWW). Both events were in Daytona Beach and we enjoyed the warm weather.

SFWW gave away a spray foam rig equipped with our DE30!

Congrats to the rig winner, Gino!

A week later, we stayed in Florida and attended PowerGen. While our co-workers were experiencing a Minnesota blizzard, we stayed warm and showed of our RP units, RP15, RP130 and our largest available, RP400.

PowerGen Booth

March

WINCO at ConExpo

We attended ConExpo in Las Vegas where we showed off our RP units and portable generators that are built for the industrial industry.

ConExpo Booth

Parades

St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick's Day

We started our parade appearance at the Le Center’s 41st Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. We handed out can coolers and a lot of candy! The Big Dog was happy to get outside and see everyone! It wouldn’t be fun without snow!

The crew

Future Parades:

We have a few more this year!

June 17thCherry Creek Days – Cleveland, MN
September 16thDozinky Days – New Prague, MN
November 30thTorchlight Parade – Montgomery, MN

Follow our social media pages to stay current on all events happening at WINCO!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wincogen
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/winco-generators/

See you soon!

– BIG DOG

Get to Know WINCO – Clint

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Name: Clint Korteum
Position: Manufacturing Engineer

Q: How long have you been at WINCO?
A: This month marked 1 year.

Q: Tell me about your family.
A: I am blessed to be married to my best friend, Rebecca Kortuem, who is loving and supporting to our family of 7. We are coming up on our 8th anniversary. We have five wonderful children, Dylan (24), Kylie (21), Kaylee (19), Kaden (19), and Oris (8). They’re growing up faster than we can imagine.  We are extremely proud of them and are encouraged to faithfully guide and support them as they begin families and careers of their own in this crazy world.

Dylan
Kylie
Kaylee
Kaden
Oris

My life is wonderful.  I am a husband, father, religion teacher, a first responder, and a firefighter.

Q: What are your hobbies?
A: I enjoy spending time with family on our patio, shooting rifles and pistols, flying drones, editing videos, Segways, boating, fishing, camping, and riding dirt bike.

I build EVERYTHING, drones, guns, planes and our home. Becky and I designed and built our home from the ground up from How-To books and YouTube videos. It was a massive project that allowed us to immerse our children into, and give them access to learning skills and trades they can use throughout their life.

FUN FACT!
Clint’s father worked at WINCO from the time he was born up until 7 years ago!

Q: I hear you have a great fashion sense.
A: At Winco I strive to engage with each employee to encourage and uplift them in their daily tasks. Every Thursday I try to brighten their spirits by wearing some “Flashy Slacks”. 

I truly enjoy the friendships I’ve made with everyone and I hope to have a lasting impact in their lives.

Thank you for taking time to talk to me!

If you’re ever in the area, stop by and be sure to say ‘hi’ to Clint!

See you soon!

– BIG DOG

Get to Know WINCO – Nikki

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Name: Nikki Crosby
Position: Buyer
Hobbies: Camping, spending time with family & friends, concerts, traveling, volunteering, and cooking.

Q: How long have you worked at WINCO?
A: 8 months.

Q: Tell me about your family.
A: I have 3 kids, Kurtis, Eddie, and Abby. We have 2 dogs, Music and Notes.

Q: You traveled a lot last year. Where did you go?
A: Mexico, Vegas, Florida, Mount Rushmore, New York City, and Nashville.

Q: Where is your favorite vacation spot?
A: I love the beach.

Q: Where do you like to go camping?
A: Fish Lake, Bray Park, Lake Washington, and Sauk Center

FUN FACT: NIKKI PREFERS TO READ OVER WATCHING TV

Q: Tell me about your volunteer work.
A: Every Christmas I volunteer for Santa’s Workshop. Last year, 472 kids received gifts and goodies that were donated from various companies and fundraising. Last year was also their 7th year and I have been volunteering since they started.

Q: What is your favorite concert that you have been to?
A: FFDP, Sixx:A.M., and Shinedown.

Thank you for taking time to talk to me!

If you’re ever in the area, stop by and be sure to say ‘hi’ to Nikki!

See you soon!

– BIG DOG