By Steve Waldhauser
Al Annexstad literally grew up on the Gustavus campus. His widowed mother worked in the Food Service to support her family, and as a child Al helped out in the kitchen and experienced the informal mentoring of college students and professors alike. Now chairman, president, and CEO of Owatonna, Minn.-based Federated Insurance Companies—and a member of the Gustavus board of trustees since 2001—he has made it a priority to “give back,” to assist and mentor disadvantaged youth.
On September 8, 2004, Annexstad received the 2004 Connecting with Youth Lifetime Achievement Award from the Minnesota Business Partnership. The Partnership presented Annexstad with the award for his leadership and generous support of Big Brothers Big Sisters and other organizations that promote youth mentoring. Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, who presented the award on behalf of the Partnership at the MBP’s annual dinner, said, “Al Annexstad knows all too well what the research indicates, that when adults take an interest in a young person, that youngster is more likely to stay in school and out of trouble, and go on to succeed in life. Al knows it, because he’s lived it.”
Long a passionate advocate for Big Brothers Big Sisters himself, Annexstad is also a tireless cheerleader at his workplace. Scores of Federated employees in Owatonna and across the nation follow Annexstad’s lead by mentoring young people through Big Brothers Big Sisters and other programs supported by Federated.
And Annexstad’s support and commitment doesn’t stop when children in Big Brothers Big Sisters reach 18. His Annexstad Family Foundation, established in 2000, provides full-ride scholarships to attend Gustavus and the University of Notre Dame, as well as other Minnesota colleges and universities, to select deserving students who have matured through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Five students are currently attending Gustavus with the help of such scholarships.
Annexstad was instrumental in bringing the Arby’s Charity Golf Tour to Minnesota in 1998. Since that time, the Minnesota leg of the tour has raised nearly $3 million for children in Minnesota. This year’s event alone brought in nearly $600,000, making Minnesota’s contribution by far the largest on the national tour.
“Every child has a dream,” Al told 700 business and political leaders attending the MBP event. “For some, those dreams will come true. For far too many, they won’t. You see, some children just can’t do it alone. They need mentors to show them the way. Things that seem so natural to all of us and our families, many kids may never grasp without our help.”