The man behind the maintenance at St. Ben’s

Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to sit with Wayne Laudenbach to learn about his work at CSB, along with a glimpse into the life he leads beyond the perimeter of the campus.

Wayne was born and raised in the St. Cloud, Minnesota, area. He originally was in the automotive field. From there, he moved up to work in the papermill in Sartell, which is where he got his Chief A boilers license, pretty much top-of-the-line in boilers licensures.

Around 27 years ago, Laudenbach made his way to CSB.

“I had a relative that worked here to start with, and just kind of knew of the campus and I was looking for something different, in a different role. I didn’t think that a lifetime at the paper mill was for me, this turned out to be really good fit,” said Laudenbach.

When a Bennie sends a maintenance request, it is Laudenbach and three others that are taking care of the requests, campus wide, every weekday. That is one of the toughest parts of his job, as they are trying to respond as fast as possible while also navigating, retrieving and ordering parts.

When Laudenbach first shared how small their team is, I was surprised, which I mentioned to him, because they are so efficient and quick to respond. I have submitted maintenance requests at night and by the time I am done with my first class the next morning the request is done.

“We kind of pride ourselves in taking care of our students. We know that we have full time residents, and we want to make it a comfortable, good place to live and learn. It takes the whole team,” Laudenbach said.

Laudenbach also commented on the importance of passing on institutional knowledge to his colleagues.

“Nobody can do it alone here. It takes a team. Someday I’m not going to be here, and it’s going to be easier for them if they know more, so doing that as a big thing for me,” Laudenbach said.

The most rewarding thing about his job is the student interaction he has every single day.

“The students are always very appreciative of the things we do to them, especially in their personal spaces. I enjoy finding out where they’re going. It’s cool seeing where they were, and where they’re headed,” Laudenbach said.

I experienced Laudenbach’s kindness towards and interest in students firsthand. Before I started the interview, he was asking me questions about myself, my future and what I have already accomplished.

Outside of work, Laudenbach spends a lot camping, fishing, and hunting, along with family time. He and his wife have been married for 40 years, originally meeting in high school. Him and his wife live on a lake just outside of St. Joesph.

Both of Laudenbach’s daughters attended school at CSB. Now, they both live within 15 minutes of him, which makes it easy for Laudenbach to spend time with not only his daughters and their spouses, but also his four grandchildren, two from each daughter.

Laudenbach comes from an extremely large family, him being number 39 of 78 grandkids. His dad was one of 15 children; his mom is one of 16.

The highlight of Laudenbach’s year each year? Every Labor Day weekend his wife and him host their family reunion. This year they had 239 people gather between his house and his mom’s house, which is right next door. If everybody could make it, their gather would have just a bit over 600 people.

One of the main events of the family reunion is the preparing, cooking and eating of their homemade bouja soup.

“We gather as a family, and then in the morning, we cut up the vegetables and stuff. We are cutting up onions and things. The little kids peel carrots and potatoes,” Laudenbach said.

The bouja kettle is about 50 gallons and holds a permanent spot at Laudenbach’s home. The tradition of making bouja came from his uncle, whose church was selling a cast-iron bouja kettle. Laudenbach’s uncle saw an opportunity, pitched it to the family, and 54 years later, the tradition continues on.

Every year there is a theme to the weekend. Last year it was Disney, this year it was all things Minnesota. The
golf tournament that is hosted on Saturday is where the theme comes to life.

I was lucky enough to see pictures from Laudenbach that showcased the 104 golfers in their Minnesota themes. One dressed up as different Minnesota sports teams, one team embraced the Minnesota tradition of “Duck-Duck-Grey Duck”, and another dressed up as the Boundary Waters. Laudenbach and his team dressed as all things Paul Bunyan this year. I can tell you this, the Laudenbach family knows how to be creative and go all out! It was so fun to see the different attire and Minnesota characteristics they chose to do in photos Laudenbach shared.

“I have a crazy, fun family that I just love doing this with every year,” Laudenbach said.

Thank you, Wayne, for taking time to share about your life with me. I enjoyed learning about what bouja is, the cheerful family traditions you hold, and your experience at CSB.

Smile, say hi and thank Wayne the next time you see him! If my experience is anything to go by, his kindness will linger with you for the rest of the day.

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