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Name: Katie B. Kauffman
Title: President
Company: Dutchland Inc., Gap, Lancaster County
Company description: “We manufacture and install wastewater treatment plants, freshwater tanks and pump stations, from Indiana east to New York and Connecticut and south to North Carolina. Our work is 80 percent municipal and 20 percent industrial.”
Personal: married to Daniel; children: Ben, Lee, Mary Ann Stoltzfus and
J. Marvin. One son, Dannie, deceased
Describe your typical day: “I am involved in all of the departments of the company. When employees have questions they can’t answer or problems they can’t solve, I get involved, so there are a lot of meetings in my day. I have hands-on experience in every aspect of the business, which surprises many people.”
What was your first job? “My husband and I started out in business together in the early 1970s. He bought a backhoe, and we installed residential septic tanks and drainfields.”
What did you learn from that job? “It was a benefit for me to be hands-on. I’ve always done the finances, but it helped to be on-site and really understand the details and operations.”
What is your biggest challenge, and how do you meet it? “Motivating and challenging the employees, giving them what they need to do their job properly. Giving the customer a good product and making sure that, at the end, the customer is happy. I try to meet the challenge by not asking the employee to do things I wouldn’t do. I try to walk the talk.”
One thing most people don’t know about me is: “Dutchland is currently building a nursing home in Jamaica, including raising the funding.”
