Bob Biesterfeld discussing his room dedication.
As a Finance major at Winona State, I was unsure how far a Winona State degree would get me; so when I heard about an alumnus being chosen as the next CEO of C.H. Robinson, I was immediately intrigued.
Bob Biesterfeld graduated from Winona State University in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Marketing. He is now the CEO of C.H. Robinson, a Fortune 500 company that provides transportation services and third-party logistics to companies all over the world. On April 4, Winona State celebrated him and his success with a day filled with events.
To start the day, there was a short presentation along with a meet and greet in Somsen 317, this space is now be named after him. The sales team along with many faculty gathered to get to know him over treats and drinks. This was a really cool experience to observe, as I have never seen something like this before. Later after this, Biesterfeld gave a presentation that focused on the many lessons he has learned along the way to get to where he is now. He talked about the importance of your personal brand and how you should always be the best version of yourself because your employers will see that and reflect on it. He also talked about how it is very hard to balance your work with your life. You need to be patient and let things develop on their own. One of the simpler things that he talked about was how he “makes sure [his] keys open the office.” You may not think about it, but it is still very important because if this doesn’t happen, no work will be done.
Bob Newberry talking to the College of Business students.
Bob Newberry, a retired Marketing professor Biesterfeld had during his time at Winona State, spoke on Biesterfield’s leadership within the classroom. Newberry reminisced on Biesterfeld and when he was involved in group work, his group would get the most out of the topic and seemed to work better just because he was in their group. At the time, Newberry saw something in Biesterfeld and knew that he was going to succeed in whatever he chose to pursue. He went on to describe Biesterfield as a people-person, a communicator, and a very curious student who would often ask questions in class.
It was a pleasure to have Bob Biesterfeld at Winona State to share his experiences and journey to becoming the CEO of C.H. Robinson. This will be an experience that I will never forget as it defines how I can Create My More.
Hannah Ledebuhr ’22 Finance Major