David Wellington, President, Wellington Management Inc.
What do you think are the biggest construction needs in Minnesota?
We need to continue the investment into our young, under-skilled labor force providing opportunities to prove competency and leadership capacity. It’s a recruitment and retention challenge on a massive scale and vital for a thriving economy.
How do you manage work/life balance?
With a busy business and family life I have limited time for a lot of extra things beyond core priorities. This season will eventually turn and my time will have more give bringing in new challenges and interests. In the interim I grab my quiet time early and try to get my blood pumping almost every morning before the rush.
What is one thing you would change about Minnesota if you could?
More dependably long, cold and snowy winters. I love winter sports and am always happiest after a big snowfall. Winter is our brand — I just want more of it.
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
When I was in college, my siblings and I guided our parents on a 20-day canoe expedition on the Hood River in northern Canada. We paddled rapids, portaged around waterfalls and battled clouds of mosquitoes and black flies until we reached our take-out destination on the Arctic Ocean. The silence and separation from civilization that followed the float plane’s departure, once it had dropped us off, is unlike anything I have experienced since. The family stories that flowed from that trip are still frequently mined for a good laugh.