NORFOLK – As part of the upcoming National Volunteer Week (April 6-12), the Northeast Community College Foundation is paying tribute to its board of directors, which consists of community members in the College’s 20 county service area. Members represent varied backgrounds, bringing strength and diversification to the Foundation.

Three of the members have strong ties to the South Sioux City area where Northeast has a presence in the College Center. Douglas Garwood, Antonio (Tony) Gomez, and Arlan Kuehn, are all well-known and have strong ties to Dakota County.

Garwood, of South Sioux City, lives on a farm south of his hometown that has been in the family since in 1868. He has farmed the land since 1970. In addition to operating a specialize trucking firm, Garwood is the founder of Cardinal Farms Greenhouse.

Since 2004, Cardinal Farms has been producing and selling locally grown vegetables to customers in the South Sioux City and surrounding areas. Garwood’s hydroponic greenhouse is pesticide-free, which translates into the highest quality of vegetables. Each season, the greenhouse produces tomatoes, cucumbers and sweet corn.

In 2013, Garwood broke on an aquaculture component to his business. With state-of-art aquaculture techniques, Garwood’s business is raising hybrid striped-bass fingerlings to maturity, which are then sold to customers and restaurants at affordable prices.

For its achievements, Cardinal Farms was named Nebraska Small Business of the Year for 2013 by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The company will compete against candidates from the other 49 states and territories as the SBA’s National Small Business of the Year this summer.

In addition to his work on the Northeast Foundation Board, Garwood is also a founder and member of the board of the Siouxland Ethanol; is involved with the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce and other community organizations, and his church.

He and his wife, Betty, have two children, Scott and Pam.

Gomez, of Jackson, is an entrepreneur who is the founder and owner of Gomez Pallet Company. He began repairing pallets that came from the packing plant he worked following a 10-12 hour daily shift. In the mid 1980’s, Gomez approached IBP, Incorporated, to formulate a plan to buy its broken pallets to repair and resell them. During the first year, he repaired 120-150 pallets a day.

Today, the 15 employees of Gomez Pallet Company repair and construct 5,000 pallets weekly in a 3,000 square foot facility west of Jackson.

In addition to his business, Gomez is a member of the Dakota County Board of Commissioners. He has earned many accomplishments over the years. He is listed in “Who’s Who Among Spanish Americans,” was named “Man of the Year” in 2001 by the National Republican Congressional Commission, and received a Merit of Achievement Award from the United Way, among other honors. He has also served on the Nebraska Mexican-American Commission and the League of United Latin American Citizens.

Gomez and his wife, Eugenia, have three children, Francisco (Frank), Samuel (Sam), and Saul.

Kuehn, of South Sioux City, began his career in auto sales in 1970 when he started working for a new car dealership. In 1999, he started his own dealership, Kuehn Auto Sales. Two years later, his son joined him in the dealership which employs ten people.

Kuehn is active in the auto industry, serving on a number of boards and commissions. He is president-elect of the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association (NIADA) and will lead the 15,000 member organization in 2014. Kuehn was the first, two-term president of the NIADA (1988-89) and served on the association’s board of directors.

Kuehn was elected to the Northeast Community College Board of Governors in 2012. He has also been involved and recognized for his civic involvement in the South Sioux City area. Kuehn is presently a member of the South Sioux City Planning and Zoning Commission. He is also a past chairman of the South Sioux City Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors; and has served on the Chamber’s Legislative Commission.

Kuehn and his wife, Jean, have two children, David and Dan.

Northeast Community College Foundation Board of Directors officers include Wayne Studebaker, Norfolk, president; Jeff Scheer, Beemer, vice president; Scott Gray, Norfolk, past president; Nadine Hagedorn, West Point, secretary; Doug Johnson, Pierce, treasurer. Other board members include Catherine Bishop, South Sioux City, David Copple,Norfolk, Dr. Robert Cox, Norfolk, Don Holloway, Norfolk, J. Paul McIntosh, Norfolk, Fred Otten, Norfolk, Eldon Peters, Norfolk, Gerald Petersen, Norfolk, Greta Roth, Wisner, and Dr. G. Tom Surber, Norfolk.

The Northeast Community College Foundation supports and promotes programs and educational opportunities of Northeast Community College throughout its 20-county service area and beyond. It was established in 1975 and is a 501 (c)(3) corporation organized under Nebraska and federal laws.