Kondex Project Engineer Lauersdorf Completes Leadership Fond du Lac Training

Lauersdorf Completes Leadership Fond du Lac Training

(June 3, 2015): Kondex Project Engineer Carrie Lauersdorf is 1 of 25 recent graduates from Leadership Fond du Lac, a nine-month program of the Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce that strengthens business and community leadership. A main focus of the program tasks small groups with researching and identifying an area of need within their local community before submitting their proposal to create a sustainable solution. Once approved, the group has five months to fundraise and implement their idea. 

Each team member had a different role on the team; Lauersdorf served as project manager – a role that closely matched her responsibilities at Kondex. “Our team decided to build Buddy Benches for two area schools, Riverside Elementary and North Fond du Lac Friendship Learning Elementary School,” she said.

The simple premise of the bench is to eliminate loneliness, foster friendship, and create awareness for others on school playgrounds. These benches have been added to hundreds of sites throughout North America. 

In addition to the team project, the entire class assembled monthly to learn about different areas of focus, a few of which included government, healthcare, education, arts, and human services. These sessions often included tours of various businesses or institutions, and were designed to create awareness for different areas of need where participants could use their leadership talent.

At the beginning of the program, everyone in the class was asked if they’d ever join a community board or run for public office. “At that time, there was no way,” said Lauersdorf. “After going through the program, I’m now considering ways to get more involved.”  

By design, the program empowers leaders to take action on community improvement efforts. This not only impacts participants personally, but benefits area businesses as well. By creating more attractive places to live, more individuals are drawn to move to Fond du Lac – thus increasing the talent pool for area businesses.

“Leadership Fond du Lac really opened my eyes to different opportunities to serve our community. More importantly, it connected participants and leaders with a vision for positive change,” Lauersdorf continued. “It not only gave me the resources and training needed to make a difference locally, but will also help grow my role at Kondex in being able to better identify the strengths in myself and our team.”

For more information about the Leadership Fond du Lac program, contact the Association of Commerce at (920) 921-9500 or visit www.fdlac.com.