Martin County’s Top “4 Under 40” award will honor individuals who live or work in Martin County for their commitment and contributions both professionally and personally. A steering committee of volunteers has selected 4 worthy individuals to receive this honor. The 2020 honorees are: Benjamin Landsteiner, Blake Potthoff, Kaleena Wiens, and Laura Olsen.

 

Benjamin Landsteiner is a life-long resident of Martin County, and he and his wife Lindsay have 8 children. Ben is the owner of JL Computers in Fairmont and is a member of the Knights of Columbus Council 1575. He is also Chairman of the Board for Options Pregnancy Center, in addition to serving on the committees of several other organizations.

 

Blake Potthoff is the Executive Director of the Fairmont Opera House and he and his wife Megan are expecting their first child in January. Blake grew up outside of Dunnell and attended Martin County West. He now lives just outside of Fairmont on his family farm. Blake is Chair of the Minnesota Presenters Network and serves in over 15 other organizations in and around Martin County.

 

Kaleena Wiens lives in Truman, she and her husband Cody have 2 children. Kaleena works as a corrections officer for the Brown County Sherriff’s department, and Kaleena also volunteers with Truman Ambulance Service and Truman Fire and Rescue and is only the 2nd woman to serve in the Truman Fire Department.

 

Laura Olsen is a Physical Therapist Assistant with Mayo Clinic Health Systems, and she has lived in Fairmont for over 5 year. She and her husband Chris have 4 children. Laura is the Chair for Kids Just Want to Have Fun, as well as the Co-Chair for the Fairmont YMCA. She also serves as vice-president of the Fairmont Elementary Early Childhood and Family Education Parent Advisory Board, as well as several committees with Mayo Clinic Health Systems.

 

The 4 Under 40 program provides the Twin Valley Council with the opportunity to honor the leaders around us and to demonstrate to younger generations, the qualities great leaders possess, all while raising funds to directly support the Council’s outreach programs in Martin County. These programs include STEM programming, training of Scouting leaders, camperships to send Scouts to camp, local unit and program support, camping operations at Cedar Point Scout Camp, and more.

 

The Twin Valley Council will hold a reception open to the public on February 25, 2021 at 5:30 pm at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Fairmont. Heavy hors d‘oeuvres will be served and a cash bar will be available. Tickets are required for the event and are on sale now at www.twinvalleybsa.org/4under40.

 

Those volunteering on the steering committee are currently seeking sponsors for the event. To learn more about sponsorship opportunities and to make a sponsorship pledge, visit www.twinvalleybsa.org/4under40.

 

For questions about 4 Under 40, contact either Erik Karre at 308.440.2641, erik.karre@scouting.org, or Jennifer Echevarria at 507.387.0294, jennifer.echevarria@scouting.org.