Why did I go to the Garage?

Four weeks ago our neighborhood was rocked with a suicide attempt. The family in the house located in our backyard has three sons. The youngest son is the same age as my son Mike and he tried to take his own life. Although the two families aren’t very close we did know the young man fairly well because he was over to visit and play sports with Mike on many occasions as they grew up next to each other.

We live on a cul-de-sac and all the families on the cul-de-sac are very close. We don’t know the other families within the neighborhood nearly as well. Since this family lived on the street behind us we knew the kids but not the parents. It is a sad fact that we now regret.

That is the background that you need to understand before I tell you the rest of the story.

Last Saturday I went to work out and when I came home the cul-de-sac was empty. I went in my house and turned on the TV. Well I stood watching football in my sweaty clothes and holding my shoes I thought to myself there was something I needed to get from car in the garage.

So in my socks I went to the garage to get it.

When I got to the garage and opened my car door I looked in my car and wondered why I had come outside. Do you ever have that experience? It happens to me quite often. Many people attribute it to old age but my teenaged kids admit that it happens to them as well.

So there I was wondering why I was looking into my car. I noticed that Ben Petersen, a high school student that lives two doors down the street, had come outside to clean out his car.

All the information that we had received about the young man that had tried to take his own life and was now in a coma had come from Ben. You see Ben had gone to visit the young man in the hospital every day. Every day!!! I was impressed how Ben was handling the situation. I thought somebody should let Ben know.

But for now I was standing in the garage trying to remember why I had come outside in the first place. As I looked in the car and moved everything trying to trigger my memory I wasn’t getting anywhere. No matter how hard I looked I couldn’t figure out why I had come to the garage.

Several times I looked at Ben as he cleaned out his car. (He seemed to know what he was doing and why he was there!)

Finally I decided to go over to Ben and get an update on my backyard neighbor. As I feared the young man was expected to die in the very near future. As of Thursday he was taken off life support and had no brain activity but was breathing on his own.

It was a tragedy to say the least. But even through the awful ordeal Ben had faithfully gone to the hospital every day. I ended our conversation by telling Ben how impressed I was with his visiting the hospital and telling him how commendable I thought he had been.

Then still in socks and stinky workout clothes I walked back to my garage. Stopped at my car one last time to try to remember why I had gone outside in the first place. But nothing came to my mind.

Now I am not a complete idiot. I have figured out why I went outside. (To talk to Ben.) But I never did discover the actual earthly reason.

The Lord works in mysterious ways.

I am not suggesting that every time I go someplace and wonder why I am there it is a divinely inspired event but I know that last Saturday it was.

Praise the Lord.

***I would like to close the blog by letting you know that yesterday our neighbor died and would like to ask that you keep the family in your prayers. They have suffered a great loss that as going to be a long struggle. ***

Enjoy the Journey

Recently several things have happened in my life that brings to mind the following advice.

Enjoy the journey because you don’t always reach the destination.

First let’s talk football. My son’s football team has been highly rated all season. They only lost once during the regular season. The playoffs started with 2 relatively easy wins and the team that had beaten them during the regular season got upset and they remained as the highest seated team left in the field.

In Nebraska football is King and my son, his friends and all us fans where only 2 games removed from reaching the finals. In Nebraska we play the finals at Memorial stadium. The object is of course to win it all but just making the finals means playing at the home of the Huskers. Playing at Memorial Stadium is a childhood dream of most people in Nebraska. Just the thought of playing on that historic field puts a smile on the face of nearly every player. (And to be honest I think most parents dreamed of having their son play at Memorial Stadium.)

On Tuesday they lost. The team that beat them was a very good team that had also only lost once on the season but we were the higher seed. It was an upset. It was upsetting. Our dreams were over. For many on the team it would be the last time they ever played an organized football game. Combining all those elements made the moment very emotional.

I hope all the players (and fans) enjoyed the journey because if they didn’t enjoy the journey what is the point, you often don’t end up where you thought you end.

Life is just going to be full of disappoint if you need to see all your dreams come true in order to be happy.

And if you give up on hoping and dreaming you end up with an extremely sad life. Things don’t always work out.

Enjoy the journey because you don’t always reach the destination.

Even something as trivial as purchasing a lottery ticket is about the journey. I seldom buy lottery tickets. I understand that my chances of winning are lower than getting hit by lightning twice and completely out of my control. (Except for the getting hit by lightning part, there are things I can do to increase my chances to get hit by lightning. Things like sitting outside in storms or climbing to the top of tall things and grasping metal during storms. The lottery has none of those types’ things.)

But when the jackpot hits $250 million dollars nearly everybody enjoys thinking about what they would do with the money if they won. In fact it is hard not to come upon a conversation about that exact subject when the jackpots get near record levels.

Enjoy the journey because you don’t always reach the destination.

Life is full of other examples. I am sure you can come up with your own.

Another place to apply the “enjoy the journey” advice is at work.

As we go about our days at work we are looking for continuous improvement in all we do. It is how we stay competitive. In order to be successful in business it is important to have good systems in place for how we do things.

Once you find an efficient method you need to use that method. The Japanize word for continuous improvement is Kaizen and it is the key to staying on the cutting edge. Because once you think have perfected something it is important that are open to more improvements. Technology, tools, the people involved and many other factors mean that what works best today is likely to be improved upon in the very near future.

At work we are on a continuous path (journey) toward finding a better way. We never reach the finish line.
That means to keep from going crazy we need to celebrate our victories and successes along the way but we can ever think we have perfected something. If we do we will be passed by our competition. We can’t afford to let our competition pass us by because that will put us out of business. (In our home lives it is no big deal.)

Enjoy the journey because you don’t always reach the destination.

It is a hard concept to explain in a blog. If you would like more information I would strongly suggest reading Jason Jennings “The Reinventors.” In the book he outlines “how extraordinary companies pursue radical continuous change.”

Red Sox, Willmar Office and Lincoln Christian All Win

My Brother Justin is a Cardinal fan and I am a Red Sox fan. So the people at work convinced us to place a wager on the World Series.

Now the World Series is over and I couldn’t be happier. My Red Sox won. The Chapin house is a joyful place!!!

The Willmar office donated more in the charity give away than the Lincoln office so the Willmar Office will be having a Jakes pizza party. Larry Marcus can start dreaming about what flavor he wants on his pizza. (I am tempted to force a Valentino’s party on the Lincoln office for losing.)

Thank you Steve Gardner for the great idea of using the Mustache Bet as a way to raise money for a good cause. Justin and I weren’t interested in growing a stache for fun but raising it for good cause was an easy risk to take. It appears that the total donations are going to be over $800. Without Steve’s idea we won’t have the chance to see Justin grow a cookie duster.

Well done and thank you to everybody that contributed.

When the Red Sox won that meant my charity won. The charity that I selected is Lincoln Christian School. So the money will go to its Family Education Grant (FEG). FEG is a fund that LCS uses to help offset tuition expenses for families that can’t afford to pay full tuition. During the month of October LCS is running a fundraising campaign that matches all contributions. That means that this contest will raise over $1,600 for LCS.

Isn’t that awesome!!! If you gave $10 it was matched by Justin or I to total $20 and that $20 was match again to total $40!

Plus we all get to enjoy seeing Justin with a soup strainer. (I doubt Dianna shares this view.)

Second Choice

Margie Larson has been at Willmar Electric for over 20 years. She has held several positions and is currently working in our accounting department focusing most of her time on payroll. She has been a great asset to Willmar Electric.

But when Margie first interviewed at Willmar Electric we decided not to hire her. We hired another person but shortly after that decision we realized we had made a mistake by not hiring Margie and went back to her and offered her a job. Fortunately Margie didn’t hold it against us and she came to work alongside us.

I can’t even tell you the name of the person that was our first choice. I don’t need to because we have Margie now and that is what matter to us.

Every time I have ever been part of a hiring decision and it comes down to two people I wonder “which one of these two people is ‘Margie?’” I don’t want the best candidate to come in second.

At Willmar Electric we are currently under taking an initiative to reduce the time it takes to install conduit on our projects. It is the focus of everything we do. If we are successful we will be a much more competitive contractor and in turn we will get more work. The process is very exciting to think about.

Margie does payroll and you are likely what our Payroll Clerk has to do with reducing conduit installation time. As you might have guessed, Margie doesn’t install conduit. She doesn’t order conduit. She doesn’t estimate our projects or how long it will take to install conduit.

So what is the point of this blog? Why am I writing this blog that highlights two completely different subject matters (Margie Larson and conduit installations)?

Because first thing this morning I got an e-mail from Margie that gave a super suggestion on how we can make our conduit installations not only more productive but higher quality.

Thank you Margie.

It was a great example of what a great teammate she is. Margie is looking out for the interest of the entire company. She wants to see her co-workers reach their goals.

Looking for cost saving ideas in all areas is modeling Thrifty. One of our four core values. Today and everyday Margie is a great model of that core value. Margie is thrifty.

(In the interest of full disclosure I must tell you that time some of Margie’s coworkers can become very annoyed with her. Margie loves to snowmobile and that means that starting about this time of year and running until April she “thinks snow.” She is cheering for snow all fall, winter and spring. We tend to overlook this flaw because otherwise she is awesome. And she signs our pay checks!!!)

Who is Beth Moore?

In Christian circles the Beth Moore is a big deal. She has written many books and speaks to large crowds across the nation. Just the mention of the name Beth Moore draws attention.

At Willmar Electric Beth Moore means something else. She is our Controller. She hasn’t written a book but we would take her over the other Beth Moore any day. (Our Beth Moore is also a wonderful and Godly person.)

Our Beth Moore is unique. (In a good way.) She has told me on many occasions that one of her favorite parts of her job is collections. You read that correctly, Beth claims to love making collection calls. As a company this is a very important role and it is extremely valuable to have people that are willing and able to handle the task.

The last time she gave me an update on collections and a reminder of how much she enjoys the task I couldn’t help but think of the “Parable of the Talents.”

The story commonly called the “Parable of the Talents” appears twice in the Bible both the Book of Matthew (Chapter 25:14-30) and the Book of Luke (19:12-28). The story appears in Matthew as follows.


14 “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 To one he gave five [a]talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. 16 Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. 17 In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. 18 But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his [b]master’s money.

19 “Now after a long time the master of those slaves *came and *settled accounts with them. 20 The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your [c]master.’

22 “Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

24 “And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’

26 “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. 27 Then you ought to have put my money [d]in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. 28 Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’

29 “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. 30 Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.


I am not going to go into a long sermon or explanation of the story for you. But what I can tell you is that Our Beth Moore is an example of somebody that takes what she is given in both talents and tasks and multiplies them both at work and away from the office.

She is a great example of our core value of being thrifty and I have always considered the parable above to be the perfect example of being thrifty.

(The parable may also relate to the other Beth Moore but I have never met her. For all I know she is just as wonderful as Ours.)

Skippity Do Da

I few days ago I heard the song “The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A.” by Donna Fargo. Unlike most country music songs it paints a very happy picture of life in general and marriage in particular. The subject of the song (I will call her Mrs. Fargo) is so happy she enjoys making her husband’s lunch while at the same time he is making hers.

It seems like every day in their lives is a “skippity do da day!” Clearly they “love waking up next to each other.” “She makes the coffee, he makes the bed.”

As Phil Robertson would say, they seem truly “happy, happy, happy.”

But Mr. and Mrs. Fargo don’t get this way by accident. The song clearly paints a picture of a couple that puts the other persons wants and desires (happiness) ahead of their own wants and desires.

At Willmar Electric we would call it Meeting the Customer Needs and Treating Others the Way We want to be Treated. The Fargos are getting their happiness in part from making others happy.

Skippity do da indeed.

Excellence in Meeting People Needs

Today is the Margie Larson’s birthday. Margie is a great co-worker and fun to work and talk with. Margie sends out our paychecks. Everybody loves Margie.
But Margie’s birthday also symbolizes something else that is important in our company’s history. Margie often pointed out to me that Bob Hookom was hired on her birthday.

And we are the company that we are today because Elmo and Frank gave a job to my favorite Norwegian-American.

Bob started as an apprentice electrician at Willmar Electric in the 1960’s. From there Bob worked his way up and around the leadership of Willmar Electric. When Bob’s career ended at Willmar Electric in 2005 he was what we called our Designer. From a practical sense that meant that Bob did the designing work on the projects where we were a Design-Build contractor. Bob never got an engineering degree but his work was beyond what nearly all engineers do today. Because he had come up through the ranks at Willmar Electric his understanding was superior to many of the people that managed to get a bunch of letters to put after their names.

Bob was very good at what he did. Bob was a great coworker. (If I had a dollar for every time somebody like Dave Sherod told me about how great Bob was and how much they looked up to him I would retire.)

There are no limits to the amount of time people like My Dad and Larry Marcus could spend telling you stories about working with Bob. Any long time coworker of Bob would be able to speak to his excellence. If you had a question about a certain application of electrical work or about the National Electric Code, Bob was your help desk at Willmar Electric. He was an endless resource.

I think that Bob is model for, at least, one of our core values. Meeting our customer’s needs.

Bob had what was described as a photographic memory. If Bob read, saw or heard something he remember it forever. He would file all those memories away and bring them back when the application for that specific memory came back into play. Bob wanted to make sure every customer got exactly what they needed. Like our current designs, Bob’s designs where based on customer needs. Bob set up the model for meeting our customer needs that we continue to promote at Willmar Electric. He didn’t want the customer to get something that they didn’t need nor did he want a customer to have a solution that came up short. (I will admit that I have never asked LaVonne if Bob truly never forgot anything.)

I have no idea who first said it but I am sure that you have heard the phrase “anything worth doing is worth doing right.” Bob Hookom lived his life with that thought in mind. He was never lazy nor did he take short cuts that might leave a customer short changed.

Excellence is the best word I could use to describe Bob. (Although he would likely prefer that I used Norwegian-American.)

Bob did things with excellence and I often recall memories of him when I am doing things and wonder if my actions are to his standard of excellence.

Bob passed away a few years ago and what follows is a tribute to Bob Hookom written by my brother Justin at that time.


A Tribute

Robert (Bob) Hookom began working for Willmar Electric Service on September 24, 1962. On that day Bob, an apprentice electrician, joined Elmo and Frank Chapin as one of the first employees of WES. He was hired because Frank had heard from John Haines he was smart and would make a good electrician. During the month between when he gave his notice to his previous employer and when he started at WES, Frank gave him a few books to read to get him started. Frank anticipated the reading would last at least a few weeks, but Bob finished the books in just a few days. Needless to say, the reports they had heard about Bob’s skills were proved correct time after time.

Bob had an outstanding memory, and this combined with his common sense, helped him to quickly advance in the electrical industry. He first earned is Minnesota Journeyman’s electrical license and then his Master’s electrical license. By the end of his career, he had acquired licenses in over 30 states, an amazing fact given the autonomy of electrical licensing in the United States. As WES grew and clients brought the company to new locations, licenses were never a difficult hurdle. Bob was asked to take the exam and qualify the license and with only one exception he obtained the license; on the ill-fated occasion, the exam was designed so that no one would be able to pass - the local officials did not want outside contractors to come into their area.

Bob was a recognized leader at WES. In the industry he was highly respected in the areas of the National Electric Code (NEC) and electrical contracting. If you needed help understanding code requirements, you only needed to go to Bob to get the accurate interpretation. When a large general contractor needed a class on electrical estimating and construction, Bob was the natural teacher. As apprentices were being trained at WES, the person to do the code instruction was always Bob. Bob’s understanding of electrical construction was amazing!

The NEC was not the only interest in his life. The Norwegian heritage in his family was not something you had to pry out of him; it was very much a part of who he was. The love of his heritage was easily seen in his priorities. Numerous trips to Norway to spend time with family and friends living there, dedication to Sons of Norway and other Norwegian groups were passions in his life. It was always fun to listen to the connections he made while gathering with these friends.

Bob was passionate about music and if you had an office near him you were often reminded of his love of music. He also sang in the church choir at Calvary Lutheran Church for many years. He was passionate about time with family and often was going to events with and for his grandchildren. Bob was passionate about people.

Bob leaves a legacy of lives that he invested in. He will be remembered fondly by Willmar Electric Service and its employees. He was an incredible friend to so many. It is hard to imagine WES without Bob Hookom. He retired in 2001, but continued to work on special projects through the end of 2005.

Willmar Electric has been giving a scholarship to Willmar Senior High graduates that are intending to pursue careers in construction for a number of years. In Bob’s honor we are going to change the name from the Willmar Electric Scholarship to the Bob Hookom Memorial Scholarship. In this small way, we would like to honor Bob’s memory, his dedication to construction, and life-long learning.

Bob Hookom was a wonderful man. Willmar Electric Service counts it a privilege and honor to have had him a member of our team. He will be dearly missed.