By CVTC News Bureau
As a second-generation owner of Plank Enterprises in Eau Claire, Natasha Plank-Ottum is working a bit outside of the career she prepared for as a December 1998 graduate of the associate degree nursing program at Chippewa Valley Technical College.
Plank-Ottum’s interest in people’s health has not changed, however. She started an onsite health clinic at Plank Enterprises that serves as a model for other employers.
That’s just one of the accomplishments that has earned Plank-Ottum the CVTC Alumni Association’s 2015 Distinguished Alumnus Award. Plank-Ottum will be honored at the 12th Annual CVTC Alumni Association Spring Gala on Thursday (April 9).
Bush Brothers and Company, makers of Bush’s Beans, also will be honored at the event as CVTC’s 2015 Proven Business Partner Award winner.
Plank Enterprises is a manufacturing-oriented holding company whose ownership interests include four corporate subsidiaries involved in manufacturing of industrial lighting products, industrial lifting systems, industrial supplies and fabrication and machining solutions. Plank-Ottum started working with the company in 1999, when she also was working as a registered nurse with Mayo Clinic Health System. She joined the Plank Enterprises executive team in 2004 and became executive vice president in 2007.
“My career has taken some interesting twists and turns,” Plank-Ottum said, adding that what she learned at CVTC is invaluable to her as a shareholder of a company.
“The interpersonal skills and the connections you make when you are in the nursing field are very helpful to you in leadership,” she said. “You have to be a great listener, accept responsibility for decisions, and you have to use critical-thinking skills, which are skills CVTC hones in on.”
Last year, under Plank-Ottum’s leadership, Plank Enterprises expanded its manufacturing footprint with the purchase of a 35,000-square-foot facility that allows for current and future growth. Plank Enterprises also partnered with the state Department of Workforce Development to develop worker-training programs.
Plank-Ottum and her company have served as leaders in business and the community. Plank-Ottum currently serves on the boards of directors of the Eau Claire Area Economic Development Corporation and Northwestern Bank. She also has been involved in United Way fundraisers and Altoona School District program-development activities.
Plank-Ottum has supported CVTC through contributions to the CVTC Foundation, service on manufacturing program advisory committees, speaking at events, providing tours and attending career fairs. Many workers at Plank Enterprises are CVTC graduates.
The 12th Annual CVTC Alumni Association’s Spring Gala will be held on Thursday, April 9, at The Florian Gardens starting with a social gathering at 5:30 p.m. The dinner and program begin at 6:25 p.m. The event raises funds for scholarships for CVTC students.
To attend or to learn more about the event, contact Jen Bremness at 715-858-1888 or alumni@cvtc.edu, or visit www.cvtc.edu/SpringGala.