Today we’d like to introduce you to Christie Larson.
Hi Christie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
The Duke Memorial Redwood Area Animal Shelter is a non-profit organization that was established and completed in 2012. Through donations of land, services, and monetary donations, what appeared to be impossible was made possible. Since then, the Animal Shelter has continued to operate by means of donations, volunteers, and the support of the city of Redwood Falls. Our purpose was and still remains to help abused, neglected, abandoned, surrendered, and stray animals. The organization’s founders strongly believed an area’s quality of life for pets and their humans is directly related to the caliber of the Shelter’s work. Thus, the Shelter continues to have a direct and major impact on how pets and people interact in Redwood County and the surrounding areas.
As far as my story goes, well I’m just a very small piece of the countless amazing people that have made and make the Shelter what it is today. At a 1,000 foot view, I grew up on a small horse farm in Iowa, and have been an avid animal enthusiast and equestrian competitor my whole life. We had a lot of different animals growing up, and it taught me a lot about hard work, compassion, and life lessons. My family moved to Redwood Falls from the Twin Cities in 2018 for family and career opportunities. Which, is an easy lead into my “why.” I have a strong background in account, finance, and strategic planning, and a passion for adding value and leaving things better than I found them. I serve in the community in a many different places. To highlight a few, I am a Board Member for the Redwood County Economic Development Authority, where the purpose is the be the catalyst for economic growth, job creation, business retention and improving the quality of life in Redwood County. I am the Coach for the Redwood County 4-H Horse Project, in which I mentor and lead our local county youth ride-outs during the summer to becoming better equestrians.
I was asked to join the Board of Directors at the Redwood Area Animal Shelter in the fall of 2024, and despite my energies saying I didn’t have the time with two little boys, a career, volunteering, and actively competing with my horse in the Reined Cow Horse Association, I kept hearing a voice tell me that I could really have potential here to make a positive impact that may have a rippling effect on the community and the animals in it.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I would describe the last six months as some of the roughest seas I’ve sailed, for lack of better words. We are all aware that in this current time, volunteers are scarce, good employees are as equally hard to find, and the economy affects everyone. The Animal Shelter had struggled to rebound following Covid, and the organization was doing everything it could to keep the lights on. The problem with just keeping the ship afloat, is that there is no direction on how to move forward. Following a look at our financial trends, it was clear we needed focus on our fundraising and donation methods, understanding our operations and placing the right people in the roles we needed, and lifting our capacity to take in and identify forever homes for the animals in need. This ultimately was overall a change of culture, which is an incredibly complex and timely journey, not an event. As George Bernard Shaw said, “Progress is impossible with change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” The new Board (all volunteers) that was pulled together, rolled up their sleeves and started looking at things from the ground up. Asking questions like, what is our mission? Why are we here? What is our goal this year, and the next 5 years? Once we had a shared vision, we reviewed or created ByLaws, Resolutions, Policies & Procedures, etc. Many of the Board members worked at the shelter to get an understanding of operations, including cleaning, intakes, adoptions, medications, and beyond. From there we defined our staffing needs, and posted job openings, some of which current staff were a fit and some of which we needed to seek outside talent. As we had struggled in the past with gaining and keeping talented staff, we quickly learned we had to match our level of pay with the talent we needed, which was going to initially cause a larger hit on the expense side, but would have a long term reward of community engagement, fundraising, and operational efficiencies.
We worked through a lot of push-back and questioning of why we would want to change staff or procedures. Due to turn-over in staff and lack of documentation, there were many things that fell apart! We failed to get our kennel license renewed in-time, we didn’t know how things were getting paid, we failed an inspection, so pretty much anything that could have broke, quit, or unraveled . . . happened. There were a lot of times that I questioned the long nights of looking at documents and financials, and emotional rollercoasters, of why I would want to continue to put this additional stress on myself. But, then I would hear that voice again that said I could make a difference and that difference could make a positive impact on so many. As such, we chose to challenges as opportunities for growth, not infinite obstacles.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a highly motivated and results-driven professional with extensive experience in financial analysis, budgeting methods, and operations leadership. I specialize in being an analytical and objective team member in conducting thorough assessments of business strategy and financial conditions. I graduated from Winona State University with a degree in accounting and a contract with McGladrey & Pullen LLP, working as an internal auditor, CPA. However, when I started my college career, I majored in engineering with an emphasis in aerospace, switched to industrial psychology, and ended up in accounting! From McGladrey I moved in to a financial analysis role at Lifetouch National School Studios, to a Sr. FP&A with Snap Fitness Corporate, to Director of Sales at Taylor Communications.
Following our move to Redwood Falls, my career lead me to a roll within Minnwest Bank, where as a Vice, President, Business Banker, CPA, I partner with both agriculture and commercial customers to identify strategic financing solutions that support their goals and in turn their success. I am able to provide the insight and invaluable trust, because I was the one on the other side of the table staring at numbers trying to figure out how to be successful while utilizing my resources efficiently. I truly enjoy the opportunity to strategize solutions that open doors for their success.
I would say that I am most proud of exposing my authentic self and staying true to my “why.” A mentor of mine once said to get comfortable being uncomfortable, because that’s where the growth is. That is a phrase that has stuck with me and my drive has stayed true in knowing I can also better my best, and there is always room for improvement in anything I do or am involved with.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
The remarkable quick turnaround and pathway of short and long-term success for the Shelter is a testament to the unwavering support and guidance of several key individuals. I am deeply grateful to my business mentors, whose wisdom and encouragement laid the foundation for some key strategies for our development and growth. Our Board of Directors also deserves immense credit for stepping up with dedication and vision in the crucial moments of directional pivots. Most notably, the arrival of our new manager, Tracci, was the missing key that fired up the ignition—bringing energy, leadership with passion, and a fresh perspective that truly transformed our operations. Together, this incredible team turned a shared vision into a thriving reality.
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