Chamber’s Guthier wins top women’s award

Owatonna women took center stage Saturday night during the 50th annual Woman of Achievement awards celebration at the Owatonna Country Club.
Owatonna Business Women hosts the event to recognize lifetime achievement, an outstanding young professional, scholarship winners, and above all, to reveal their top award. This year’s Woman of Achievement, selected by an independent panel of judges, is Owatonna Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Director of Operations Rhonda Guthier.
A panel of independent judges evaluated five finalists, including Jennifer Copeland, Tanya Paley, Peng Olson, and Sarah Struss. The award was a surprise to everyone, and no one more than Guthier.
“The caliber of women that was in my category, I just can’t believe this is happening to me,” she said.
Panelists said Guthier, a life-long Owatonna resident, “radiates love of community and its members. Her sense of pride and extensive list of activities and volunteering is impressive and humbling.”
That includes 50 years with the 4-H program, raising funds with Relay for Life and Walk to End Alzheimer’s, volunteering with the Early Edition Rotary Club and Exchange Club, and supporting JA Big Bowl (a Junior Achievement fundraiser), Beds for Kids, and Toys for Tots drives.
In accepting the award, Guthier encouraged everyone to be engaged in the community and “make a difference, small or large, it doesn’t matter.”
“Make sure everything you do is with passion,” she said.
The event raised more than $25,000 to support the Owatonna Business Women’s scholarship program. Scholarship Committee member Christy Tryhus, who is Dean of Academic Affairs at Riverland College, introduced these 11 women who will each receive $1,000 to further their education:
Continuing education: Beth Christesen, Business Management-Bemidji State University; and Katherine Wurdeman, Family Nurse Practitioner-University of Minnesota
Graduating seniors: Audrey Simon, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Ava Hess, Drake University; Ava Westbrock, University of South Dakota; Haley Meiners, College of St. Benedict; Hillary Haarstad, University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse; Julia Christenson, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities; Jessica Neuharth, South Dakota State University; Madison Moen, University of Wisconsin-Madison; and Melanie Winzenburg, St. Mary’s University
Introducing the Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Owatonna Business Women Vice President, Public Relations Rebecca Moore said Betsy Lindgren has been a “key contributor” to the community. As a single mom in 1985, Lindgren took a loan against her car to buy an Express Employment Professionals franchise. She grew revenues from $800,000 in its first year to over $14 million in a top sales year, before selling the business in 2017.
Lindgren’s community service includes the Owatonna Noon Rotary Club, United Way of Steele County, Steele County Food Shelf, and more than 20 years on the Owatonna Foundation Board of Directors. She was named Woman of the Year, a forerunner to Woman of Achievement, in 2002.
“When you talk about it takes a village, it takes women to build a community,” Lindgren said, adding she was “honored and humbled” to receive the award.
The group also recognized Annie Granlund, associate editor with the Owatonna People’s Press and Waseca County News, as the 2022 Young Careerist. Nominating committee member Jessi Harty said Granlund got her first byline with the Detroit Lakes Tribune at age 17 and worked for the Echo Press in Alexandria before coming to Owatonna five years ago.
As a volunteer with Owatonna Business Women, Engage Owatonna, and the Steele County Historical Society, “she actively participates in making Owatonna a better place,” Harty said.
In her keynote address, 2020 Woman of Achievement honoree Lisa Hyland said the day after she received her award, Governor Tim Walz declared a state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The past two years took something out of me that I am just beginning to reclaim,” she said. “I have worked hard and continue to work hard in two areas, reclaiming optimism and reclaiming my sense of joy. I want to walk through my day expecting awesomeness.”
Hyland talked about choosing to see optimism, which she finds in her co-workers at Federated Insurance Companies, her daughters, and the Owatonna community.
“People making choices to do good and to be good is what spreads optimism and brings joy to the world,” she said, calling Owatonna Business Women “a true force for optimism and joy in our community.”