April YP Connector

APRIL 2021
WHAT
COVID-19
TAUGHT ME ABOUT
LEADERSHIP
Kurt Strand
with

The The Dubuque
area chamber
Monthly Membership
Luncheon
Hosts
Positivity During Challenging Times
The Chamber's Monthly Membership Luncheon will be on Thursday,
November 19 from 12:00 Noon - 1:00pm via GoToWebinar. The
event will feature Don Sandel.
.
Don Sandel has a Master of Arts and
Bachelor of Science from Western
Michigan University. Since
graduation, he has amassed a
number of highly specialized
certificates in Human Performance
Improvement, Training, Leadership
Development, Coaching, Business
Acumen, and Applied Positive Psychology.
Find us on your favorite
social media app.
Don’s expertise is in the field leadership development as well as the
impact of shifting to a positive mindset. He is currently the Founder of
GoPositiv, but has spent a quarter century leading talent development
for such companies as Astellas Pharma, Allscripts, and United Airlines.
He has recently consulted for such organizations as Wintrust Bank,
Remarkable Health, Ada S. McKinley Community Services and Audentes
Therapuetics and has thrilled thousands with his energetic keynotes on
shifting to a positive mindset.
Where Business Belongs
300 Main Street Suite 200 | Dubuque, IA 52001
563.557.9200 | www.dubuqueChamber.com

Page 3
Page 5
Contents
3 // Kurt Strand
Looking ahead towards our April YP Luncheon
presenter
5 // Kody Fitzjerrells
Reviewing the impact of our March YP
Luncheon presenter
7 // Favorite Dubuque Activities
What are the YP Board’s favorite Dubuque
activities
13 // YP Sponsor Feature
Q Casino
Page 13
15 // April YP Blog
Ways Traveling Will Enhance Your
Career And Life
17 // Upcoming YP Events
View a list of upcoming YP events
Follow Us
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@ypdubuque
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JOIN THE CONVERSATION
#YPDUBUQUE

AT THE YP LUNCHEON ON APRIL 21
WHAT COVID-19 TAUGHT

ME ABOUT LEADERSHIP
Kurt Strand
with
Join us for our YP Virtual Monthly Luncheon, Wednesday, April 21, 2021, from 12:00 -
1:00PM with Kurt Strand, President and CEO of the National Mississippi River Museum &
Aquarium, and his presentation, "What CoVid-19 Taught Me About Leadership."
Dealing with the CoVid-19 pandemic presented numerous challenges to our organizations,
employees, safety, and financial sustainability. As I look back over the past year,
these challenges provided me new insight into leadership.
Kurt Strand assumed his position as the President and CEO of the National Mississippi
River Museum & Aquarium in May 2017. In this role, Kurt leads the museum and aquarium’s
mission to inspire stewardship by creating educational experiences where history
and rivers come alive.
Prior to joining the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium, Kurt held numerous
leadership positions at McGraw-Hill Higher Education including Chief Product Officer, and
President of McGraw-Hill’s Science, Engineering and Mathematics.
Kurt is active in the Dubuque community. He has served on many local boards including
The Greater Dubuque Development Corporation, The Community Foundation of Greater
Dubuque, The Dubuque Chamber of Commerce, Every Child Every Promise, and the
Dubuque Chorale.
Kurt is a graduate of the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.
Kurt and his wife LeeAnn live in Galena and have two daughters, Madelyn, a senior at St.
Louis University, and Klara, a freshman at the University of Iowa.
The YP Virtual Monthly Luncheon is held on the third Wednesday of each month from
12-1:00 PM. Young Professionals of Dubuque (YPD) current membership is over 2,300
members. YP luncheons feature a presentation on professional, personal, or community
development.

Recapping last m

onth’s Luncheon
Kody Fitzjerrells
with
Own the Day, Own Your Life
Kody gave us his tips on how he got to where he is today. Going from dropping
out at Iowa State, quitting his six-figure job to starting his own business!
1 Being a 2-path person
2 You only regret the things you don't do
3 Pay the price today so you pay any price tomorrow
4 Plan critical tasks
5 Win the day - Live a Full Life
6 Success to me is to be respected the most by people who
know me best
7 Realign your identity
8 Presence is everything
9 The richest person in the world and the poorest person in the
world both have 24 hours in a day
10 Place yourself in uncomfortable situations
11 Your potential, the absolute best you're capable of that's the
metric to measure yourself against
Kody lives by these four things, faith, family, freedom, and loyalty. He encouraged
everyone to live life exactly the way they want to live. If you can get past
the first 5 seconds of thoughts or worry about what others think or society
wants you to live your life, then you will own the day own your life!

Your YP Board Members
Favorite
DUBUQUE
Activities!

Kevin Meyers
Grilling out, Golfing, Bon Fires, River Days and
Country Concerts.
McKenzie Kline
Hiking with my dogs & spending time with
my nephews

McKenzie Margaret O'Reilly Kline
Hiking Hanging with out my with dogs friends & spending and eating time out with at
my different nephews restaurants!
Jacob Wierzbiki
When I'm not working or with my kids, I'm
outdoors usually kayaking or fishing.
Anna Johnson
I love hiking at Swiss Valley Nature
Preserve!

Wes Hartig
Embracing the snowy winters by sledding
at the Dubuque Golf & Country Club!
Nikki Bauer
We love golfing- this year we’re joining
Thunder Hills!
Scott McGuire
Golfing!

Taryn Kafer
Being outdoors as much as possible, hiking any
season, snow shoeing, kayaking, camping and
more in the Dubuque area!
Digger Kurt
My favorite activity in Dubuque is going to
Jubeck with my kids and playing a game
with them while I have a beer.

Justin Gonner
Golfing!
Nicole Mensen
One of my favorite activities is supporting
the small businesses Dubuque has –
anything from buying a bike to a beer, or
shopping at your favorite boutique!
Shopping small gives the opportunity to
meet new people or explore new hobbies.

Check out this YP sponsor!
This month we would like to highlight one of our
sponsors, Q Casino!
Q Casino is an entertainment and gaming complex
that incorporates both greyhound racing and
casino gaming located in Dubuque, Iowa. The
casino is owned by the City of Dubuque and
operated by the non-profit Dubuque Racing
Association, its license holder.

Ways Traveling
Will Enhance Your
Career And Life
C hange is one of the toughest things a person
can experience.
We are all in tune with our surroundings and the
people that we are comfortable with in our
day-to-day lives. Sometimes we forget about the
world that is outside of our comfort zone. Yes,
there are many challenges out there in the world,
but look at it as an opportunity for you to learn
and grow as a person to help better your career
and life. Traveling gives you that opportunity to
step out of your comfort zone and push you to new
limits. Traveling gives you so much more than a
relaxing escape from your daily life.
Here are the reasons that you should travel more
often to enhance your career. Quoting Dr. Seuss,
“Oh, the places you’ll go!”
You Become More Adaptable
Travel teaches you to be aware of everything
happening around you. You learn to quickly jump
from Plan A to Plan B in the event of any change in
plan or an emergency. Being able to welcome new
and untested ideas or challenges helps you set and
stick to long-term goals in your career and life.
Traveling helps you to no longer fear the unknown
and enables you to embrace unfamiliar situations,
people, and surroundings with ease.
You Improve Communication Skills
Traveling around the world enables you to meet
new people with different perspectives and
backgrounds which can lead to interesting conversations.
These conversations will stay with you for
the rest of your life. People skills are often one of
the most important traits corporations are looking
for. Communication is an indispensable skill for
building a rapport with your team and it’s a skill
that companies are constantly seeking. Travel helps
you improve your communication skills as you are
talking to random strangers on a bus to figure out
which stop you need to get off at. You become a
better, active listener when you come out of the
boundaries of your own culture and interact with
people of another culture. These improved communication
skills help you build your network and
make you a strong employee.
You Sharpen Your Decision-Making Skills
The moment you decide to travel is the moment
you have begun working on your decision-making
skills. An important leadership trait that companies
appreciate in their employees is their
decision-making skills. When traveling, you make
many decisions - which train to take, which city to
go to, which site to see, and where to eat. Sometimes
these decisions have to be made more
quickly than you would like. For example, making
sure you decide to take the right train when two

possible trains leave in the next 5 minutes can test
this. Making quick and efficient decisions is something
you can improve on by traveling more.
You Become More Organized
Taking the initiative to plan ahead when traveling
can be the most challenging aspect of planning a
trip. Organizing and planning your trip well in
advance is not the most fun thing to do, but it is
essential. Budgeting, planning, researching,
packing, etc. are important for a successful trip.
When I was backpacking around Europe for about
3 months, it took me about 4 months in advance to
plan out my whole trip. Tackling this in advance
took stress off my shoulders every time I arrived in
a new city. Organized people are people who trust
their processes and operations in life.
You Become Independent
Even though most employers are worried about
whether an employee can work well in a team
environment, they are also concerned that
employees can work independently. Traveling
helps you truly become independent, giving you
time to think for yourself and find deeper insights
into your existence. It pulls you out of the daily
grind. Doing this helps you become an independent
thinker and a better problem solver. You get
thrown into situations that you have to figure out
on your own in your personal and professional life.
You Grow More Confident
Traveling builds your confidence in numerous
situations. People don’t realize their true potential
until unexpected situations are thrown at them.
Managing your stress is another important aspect
when traveling to the unknown. The more you are
able to deal with stress and situations the more you
increase your self-confidence. Traveling is about
leaving your comfort zone and what better way is
there to boost your self-confidence than by traveling
more?
When it comes to bettering yourself and professional
growth, traveling more often has many long-term
benefits! You learn to take responsibility for yourself
and this responsibility stays with you and can be
applied to your career and life. Traveling allows you
to grow your network, generate new ideas, and
develop better people skills! Where are you booking
your next plane ticket to?
by
Taryn Kafer

Upcoming
Events
Join us at one of our
upcoming virtual events
YP VIRTUAL LUNCHEON
Kurt Strand
April 21
YP VIRTUAL LUNCHEON
Zach Keeling
May 19
YP VIRTUAL LUNCHEON
Chad Chandlee
June 16

For more information on YP Dubuque please contact the Dubuque Area Chamber at
office@dubuquechamber.com or 563.557.9200.
Young Professionals Dubuque is a program of the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce