Welcome Curt Tillotson

This month’s employee spotlight at Lakeland Engineering Equipment Company is Curt Tillotson, CEO, Lakeland Management Services. Curt joined the Lakeland team in November 2021. During his short time with Lakeland, Curt’s favorite part has been meeting the great people around all of the Lakeland Companies who do amazing work every day.

Curt started out his career working for big companies – Big Four public accounting, Pillsbury, and Best Buy. One of the most noteworthy projects that Curt worked on was at Best Buy.  He helped acquire the Geek Squad for Best Buy and then helped open up the first Geek Squad store within a store. “I designed and opened up the first Geek Squad store inside the Maple Grove Best Buy.  I was initially told that orange paint would never be used inside a Best Buy store.  They obviously changed their minds,” Curt said.

Making an Impact

While his time spent working with these larger companies was a great experience, it was difficult to make an impact. Curt decided to work for smaller companies looking to grow where he could have greater involvement and make a difference. His most recent experience was at a printer in St. Cloud, called Nahan Printing. Nahan was a lot like Lakeland–innovative, fast-moving, and very entrepreneurial.

When asked what drew him to Lakeland, Curt explained, “After initially meeting Dave [Fox] and Bill [Pickell], I was impressed with the company.  Lakeland is entrepreneurial and looking to grow.  They have great people who love to win in the marketplace.  That is exactly what I like to do.  I’m looking forward to the journey with all of you.”

Iowan Lands in the Twin Cities

Curt grew up in Des Moines, Iowa, which means he hears a lot of Iowa jokes. He attended Drake University, as did his dad and 3 of his kids. Curt graduated in Accounting and then spent a few years in Chicago getting his MBA at the University of Chicago while working in public accounting.

In 1991, Curt moved to the Twin Cities just in time for the Halloween snowstorm. He and his wife Kim have 7 kids, his two youngest are twin daughters who attend Maple Grove High School. Outside of work his kids have kept him pretty busy. Curt is a big sports fan, especially of the Iowa Hawkeyes, enjoys fishing and golfing, and is very active in his church.

Curt would like to extend his thanks to everyone for helping him learn the businesses.