Why Willmar? - Ken Warner

In your opinion, what makes the Willmar Lakes Area such a great place to live, work, play, learn and do business?

If you like the simplicity of being able to do most things that you want to do, you can do so within 5 to 10 minutes and without all of the congestion of a big metro area. It doesn’t matter if you want to walk, run, bike, fish, golf, hunt, see a play, movie, etc. it’s all right here. You’re never more than 2 hours away in many different directions to do and experience other things that you might not find here or just for something different. Our quality of life is really something we all can brag about and be proud of.

What does community leadership mean to you?

The spark of leadership is by committed local people willing to risk failure to reach for success. You do not have to be elected to be a leader. You just have to care and decide to do something, and to enlist like-minded people in the doing.

Where do you see the Willmar Lakes Area in the next ten years?

I see a community that has made the transition from a large town to a small City and one that continues to grow and prosper. As a regional City, if Willmar is healthy and growing so are the others in the region. We need to count on each other to survive and realize that we are much better working together than apart.