Our Rotarian of the Week just loves the things that grandkids say. With 4 kids and seven grandchildren our fellow Rotarian still finds time to enjoy fishing, skiing, and more. This person grew up in Roseville, Minnesota, home of the Alexander Ramsey High School Rams, and graduated in a class of 550 students. When gas was $0.59/gallon, he was working his first job at AAA for $1.75/hour.
As a full time student at the University of Minnesota St. Paul, he worked three jobs. One on the family farm, one at a hospital supply company, and then he played piano and drums in three bands. The Leonard Erickson Orchestra which played on Dixieland riverboats, a funk band in the Tower of Power style, and in the Whitesidewalls which is still currently playing across Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Because of his love for livestock and turning the soil, this Rotarian planned on farming for the rest of his life, but when researching growth stimulants, he was offered a job at Midland Cooperatives (now Land O’ Lakes). Part of the job offer was that the company would put him through management school so he seized that opportunity. He managed co-ops and their employees for the company for 4 years in Clinton, MN. Those employees included 2 bookkeepers, Laverne and Shirley, who kept him on his toes just as their TV counterparts would have.
He moved on to grad school at CSU for another double degree in accounting and economics. In his program they only had classes scheduled on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. That meant that they could ski or go fishing on Tuesday and Thursday depending on the season. When it was ski season, he and his friend had quite the set up - they’d check out a 12 person passenger van, fill it up with students wanting to ski and spend their days on the slopes. Once he finished his masters in 1983 he moved to Wichita, KS and did direct lending, appraisals, and other things in 8 different states for Farm Credit Bank. The people he worked with/for were great and in ag, but not directly, so eventually he moved to Scottsbluff as the President of First National Bank of Gering NE. Throughout, our Rotarian of the Week always loved the appraisal part and decided to start his own business called Bartlett & Company. This name for the business had always been in the family in one form or another: it originated as a tire business in the 50s, then transitioned to a construction business in the 60s-80s, and was also adopted by his brother as Bartlett & Associates. He was asked to work for Wyoming managing state lands, and did that until 2022.
Dave Bartlett and his wife Julie have a ranch with alfalfa hay, cattle and one horse named Van Halen which he’s teaching his granddaughter to ride. His step-son is the ranch manager and lives on the property with his wife and their 2 children. Being a member of the American Society of Farm Manager and Rural Appraisers since 1987 is his proudest accomplishment because as the District 6 Vice President he can work, teach and advocate for the members.
Of the things we think, say or do, Dave finds the fourth test most important to his business affairs because it is very similar to the third book of Amos, “If we agree to walk together, we must agree to meet together.” He first joined Rotary in 2008 and was sponsored by John Sorensen while in Scottsbluff and served on the Education Committee. He has served on the Cheyenne Rotary Foundation Board since 2017 and is the current board president. He has two memorable moments in Rotary: working in Meru, Kenya on a water harvesting project, and going to a shop for plumbing needs in Steamboat CO.
He most likes the feeling of accomplishment that he gets when doing projects with Rotary that might otherwise not be done, like the Adaptive Bike Project! His favorite meal is whatever his mother or wife is cooking; but if in a restaurant he wants broiled walleye, lots of veggies, a good salad and apple crisp. Look for Dave to be working on learning guitar and traveling with Julie in his “down time.”
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