Mike has received notable coverage for his work in the community.
Excerpts are from an article written by Cari Quam, West Central Tribune, December 2005. The full article can be downloaded at http://www.kandiyohi.com/documents/Dec05newsletter.pdf
Amy Kelleher left Atlanta to work at Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar. Liz VanDerBill decided to quit her job in Brooklyn Center and moved to Willmar before finding work. Michael Pluimer moved out of the Twin Cities so that his children could attend Central Minnesota Christian School in Prinsburg. Kelleher, VanDerBill and Pluimer all grew up in the Willmar area, moved away after high school and decided to come back. The Bring Them Back Home task force, a program of the Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Commission, wants more people like them. The task force is trying to figure out ways to link area natives who have moved away with local jobs.
Published Summer 2006 in the West Central Tribune. Excerpts in this article were also taken from an article by Diane Macht in the Raymond-Prinsburg News. The full article can be downloaded at http://www.kandiyohi.com/documents/Summer06_BTBH_000.pdf
In the midst of a successful career as an engineer at Toro Co., Michael Pluimer moved out of the Twin Cities so that his children could attend Central Minnesota Christian School in Prinsburg. The lure of returning home was strong for Pluimer, who was pursued and hired by a local company, and has since become an engineering consultant/lobbyist living in rural Raymond. Pluimer wanted to give back to his community and the school that raised him, and decided to do some fund-raising by competing in the Ironman USA Triathlon, which consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile run. He finished in the top 500 among 1,800 competitors. That was good, but even better was knowing he met another important goal. He trained hard not only with the goal of finishing, but he wanted to raise money for a cause dear to his heart: Christian education at his alma mater, Central Minnesota Christian School. Pluimer did both â in grand style. He finished the race in a time of 11 hours and 43 minutes, and raised $83,000 for CMCS. Since Pluimer was the top fundraiser in the Janus Charity Challenge, he earned an additional $10,000 for the school, on top of the $73,000 that was donated. He accepted the award at a ceremony in Idaho, where he spoke about his charity, saying he was âextremely humbled and blessed.â Pluimer said the next nearest fundraiser to him was at $40,000. Janus gave him a free pass to any race in 2006, and Pluimer plans to race again. He wants to raise $100,000 for CMCS at the Ironman in Lake Placid, New York on July 23, 2006.