Celeste Voss, Kendra Braunger, and Tony Rotchadl have been listed on the inaugural 20 Under 40 Young Professionals List by the Mankato Free Press’ MN Valley Business magazine. The recipients of this award were nominated by their coworkers and peers for their work in the professional environment as well as their volunteer work outside of their full-time position.
Celeste is an HR professional at Bolton & Menk who began her career in 2006 and is a Mankato, MN native. She is a Certified Professional in Human Resources and leads talent acquisition and onboarding activities for the firm. She also supports leaders and employees with talent management activities including employee relations and engagement, job description development, college relations, and community education/STEAM outreach. Her love for finding and connecting top talent to our expanding workforce and providing talent management support to our managers and staff is what drives her to do her best every day.
Outside of work, Celeste is active in her children’s education as an Eagle Lake Elementary PTO Board Member. She has been a Junior Achievement volunteer for more than 10 years as a classroom teacher, former Big Bowl & Golf event planning committee member, marketing board member, has coordinated high school mock interviews and classroom presentations on interview skills and resume writing, and was a former Hosanna Church Small Group Instructor. Celeste is honored to be mentioned with other great Mankato Young Professionals who make our community a great place to live and raise children. As a proud Mankato East graduate, she is thankful for all those who have made an impact on her life and to Bolton & Menk for providing her many opportunities to give back.
Kendra started her career at Bolton & Menk in 2017. As a marketing & communication specialist, she contributes to the content developed on Bolton & Menk’s internal and external websites, ensuring the content is engaging and on brand. She also manages the firm’s social media accounts. Kendra manages and assembles dozens of project and personnel award submittals every year and loves seeing projects and personnel within the company receive the recognition they deserve. She sits on both the firmwide and Mankato Culture Collaboration Groups and recently received the company’s annual Culture Corporate Value Award. Kendra is also responsible for Bolton & Menk’s children’s book series and enjoys seeing those books out in the communities we serve.
Kendra often lends her creative talents to Mankato’s Merely Players Community Theatre productions. She most recently graced the main stage as Janet in The Rocky Horror Show (October 2021) and played the gardener Miss Peake in “Spider’s Web,” the Agatha Christie murder mystery (March 2022). She’s been able to extend her talents and now sits on the Merely Players Board of Directors. Kendra also has been involved in the Minnesota Fringe Festival in Minneapolis, writing, producing, directing, and performing shows with her writing-partner and best friend. Her 2019 parody musical “Chisago: The Musical”, received both the “Audience Favorite” and “Spirit of the Fringe” awards. Kendra is thrilled to be recognized with other Mankato Young Professionals who work hard to make our community great!
As a Mankato native and MSU Maverick alum, Tony takes great pride in helping lead numerous local transportation projects that enhance safety and promote economic growth in the region. Notable large-scale, multi-agency projects that relied on Tony’s leadership include the Highway 169 Grade Raise from Mankato to Saint Peter, Highway 14/15 Interchange in New Ulm, Highway 14/Riverfront Drive Roundabout Interchange in Mankato, Highway 60 Project from Mankato to Waterville, and Victory Drive Improvements in Mankato. He has also provided engineering expertise on planning studies aimed at identifying future investment needs, including the 169 Corridor Study, Highway 14 Pedestrian Bridge Study, and various regional stormwater initiatives. Tony also helps support projects during the construction phase. His well-rounded experience allows him to bring value to the table for just about every type of project.
With three elementary aged children, Tony has coached various youth sports—soccer, basketball, baseball, and football. He volunteers for the area MATHCOUNTS competition and also enjoys speaking with area high school students to promote career opportunities in engineering. If you’ve attended any of the Mankato Elks Club fundraisers, you may have heard him sing the national anthem as part of a volunteer quartet! Tony is grateful for the recognition and is excited to continue his work making Mankato a great place to live, work, and play.
Learn more about our Mankato employees’ commitment to bettering the Mankato area, here!
