Rooted in Minnesota.
Reaching the World.

The Beginning

Small town roots. A lifetime of values.

Ron and Janet Christenson have called Waconia, Minnesota home for nearly five decades — but their roots run deep in Pine City, where they grew up, where their paths converged, and where the family still keeps a cabin today. It was in Pine City that both of them were shaped by households that placed enormous value on faith, generosity, and learning. Neither of their fathers had gone beyond 8th grade, though both of their mothers graduated high school. Despite modest educational backgrounds, both families treated learning as something precious and worth striving for. That spirit never left either of them.

As a first-generation college student, Ron attended the University of Minnesota, earning a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Janet supported him through school, and through a co-op program Ron connected with a small local company called Cargill. When he graduated in 1972, they offered him a full-time position — and what followed was a remarkable career and an equally remarkable life together.

The next decade took Ron and Janet across the country and beyond — Iowa, North Carolina, Illinois, back to Iowa, and all the way to Argentina — before they settled back in Minnesota. Along the way, they welcomed three daughters: Heather, Allison, and Amber, each born in a different state. Ron ultimately served as Chief Technology Officer at Cargill for 17 years before retiring in 2009.

In retirement, Ron and Janet remained deeply engaged — supporting the University of Minnesota, their church, and the outdoor organizations that reflect their love of the natural world. And in 2006, they did something that would carry their values far beyond their own lifetimes: they established the Christenson Family Foundation.