Article Contributed on: 10/1/2008 2:44:29 PM
Don Ytterberg is running for Senate District 16 and answered a questionnaire for YourHub.com. To read all of the candidate questionnaires,
click here.
My name: Don Ytterberg
Office Sought: State Senator, District 16
My age: 52
My Family: Picture Attached: Identities (From left)
Back Row: Son:
Robert, Son-in-law:
Justin, Me, Sons:
Robbie &
Aaron
Front Row: Daughters:
Debbie &
Beth, Mother:
Pam, Daughter-in-law:
Abby, Wife:
Kim On Laps: Grand children:
Kia,
Dylan,
Wesley,
Ella (not pictured)
Education: B.S. Industrial Engineering, Masters Business Administration
What I do: President, Kalman Floor Company, Inc. (a national concrete contractor)
My favorite place in town to hang out: Coors Field on a warm, summer evening
What I like most about living here: The beauty of the Rocky Mountains
My interests and hobbies: Crosswords, Golf, Fly Fishing, Skiing and Canoe Sailing
My favorite thing to cook: Thanksgiving Turkey
People who inspire me (and how): One of my heroes is Robert Greenleaf, Sr. VP of AT&T until 1964 and founder of the Center for Applied Ethics. In his book entitled Servant Leadership, Greenleaf developed an excellent model for leadership. He described servant leadership in this manner: "It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead...The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant - first to make sure that other peoples' highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and difficult to administer, is: do those served grow as persons, do they grow while being served, become healthier, wider, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?"
I believe people who aspire to lead should also seek to serve and Robert Greenleaf captures this thought perfectly.
How I have contributed to the community: I have been a Director, NW Metro Chamber of Commerce, past-President of the Colorado Association of Metal Finishers, an Elder in my church, active in youth athletics and boosters and am a member of Evergreen Kiwanis.
The biggest issues facing us now: Throughout the district, people are concerned about the economy; specifically the rising costs of food and energy. To reduce energy costs, I strongly support environmentally responsible local drilling for natural gas and oil and will support development of all types of renewable energy alternatives. In particular, we need a substitute for corn ethanol which has driven up food prices because corn is a food staple. To improve the economy, I will seek to create a business environment where primary jobs can be created. Greater access to Colorado's resources will permit expansion of basic industries such as mining, agriculture and manufacturing. These industries typically pay higher than average wages, and provide the underpinning for strong service industries.