Iowa Prison Industries is looking forward to the new year! To wrap up 2017, we have gathered some staff highlights from 2017.
IPI Welcomes New Staff in 2017
On October 2, 2017 Rod Kramer joined the IPI team as a senior technician at the Anamosa warehouse. Rod has previously worked in manufacturing management, transportation and safety, project management and residential CAD.
Outside of work, Rod has served on the Farley Fire and EMS for 24 years and is currently a Fire Chied and EMT. Rod also enjoys spending time with his children, family and friends, keeping up with his favorite teams (the Hawkeyes, Packers and Cubs) and watching movies. We are happy to have him on our staff - Welcome Rod!
Karen Donahue was welcomed to IPI as a customer service representative over summer 2017. Karen has over 30 years of experience working in customer service and sales, and is excited to be a part of the IPI team. In her spare time, Karen enjoys traveling and old movies. She is a proud fan of the Iowa Hawkeyes!
In May 2017, three other employees became employed in the IPI Des Moines office: Sara Schnotala, David Welshhons and Tammy Nielsen!
Tammy joined the team as a sales representative for cities, churches, colleges/universities and healthcare markets. Tammy's first day was May 23, 2017.
David began his employment with IPI on May 24, 2017 as a customer service representative serving K-12 education and regents universities markets.
Sara joined the IPI team on May 30, 2017 and is also a customer service representative. She is the county, state and federal customer representative.
Iowa Prison Industries was also pleased to welcome Jason Stewart to the team in March 2017. He currently works in Des Moines operations on the Move & Install team. Before employment at IPI, Jason worked as a correctional officer at NCF.
In Remembrance of Darin Jarding
IPI Anamosa lost a dear friend and co-worker with the passing of Senior State Industries Technician, Darin Jarding, on May 31, 2017.
Darin touched the lives of many staff, incarcerated individuals and customers throughout his time at IPI. Always ready to help out when needed, you could find Darin performing on-site installations, working in the Anamosa Warehouse or providing coverage of the Anamosa production shops.
He was a loving and devoted father, son and brother. His greatest joy was his children. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Darin's family.
2017 National Staff Award
IPI's Becky Bessine, Associate Warden for Ft. Madison and Mt. Pleasant was named the winner of the 2017 National Staff Award for the National Correctional Industries Association (NCIA). She was selected ahead of colleagues from all 50 states as well as candidates in the federal prison system. To learn more about her award, check out this IPI blog from May 2017. Congrats, Becky!
Retirement Announcements
Tim Diesburg (right) and Pat Fowler (left) retired in 2017 after a combined 65 years of service in Iowa Corrections. The attached photo was taking on their last day, Dec. 29, 2017.
All of us at IPI would like to thank them both for everything they have done over the years to make Iowa a safer place. Best wishes, Tim and Pat, for a very happy retirement!
Scott Klinefelter retired from IPI on March 30, 2017. He was with us for nearly 19 years as a sales representative. Scott served a variety of customers from state agencies to school districts and churches across Iowa.
Teresa Engelbart was with IPI for nearly 35 years when she retired on May 31, 2017. Teresa provided customer service to thousands of customers while employed with IPI.
Dave Schmitt retired from the IPI Metal Shop this year as well. He had worked for IPI for 37 years.
Laurie Cochran retired from IPI's Mount Pleasant operation of June 30, 2017. She started working for the State in June 2000 and transferred to IPI as a State Industries Technician in 2008.
We wish all of our retirees the best of luck in their future endeavors. We also want to thank them all for their service to the State of Iowa.