Franken, James L., 1953-2001

FRANKEN, SANDBULTE, VANDENBRINK

Posted By: Lydia Lucas - Volunteer (email)
Date: 8/23/2010 at 19:40:10

DEATH CLAIMS SIOUX CENTER CORPORATE, COMMUNITY LEADER
By Steve Hoogland

Services were held last Friday at First Reformed Church in Sioux Center to commemorate the life of James L. "Jim" Franken, a longtime community leader and president and CEO of the Interstates Companies and the Harbor Group in Sioux Center.

Franken, 48, died Tuesday, November 13, at the Osceola Community Health Center in Sibley. He was found in his car on Highway 9 near Little Rock. At the time, Franken was on his way to his office in Sioux Center from his lake home in Okoboji. His death was a result of heart complications.

The Interstates' offices were closed on Friday to allow Franken's fellow team members to attend the funeral. The Revs. John Ornee, Arnold Punt and Roger Voskuil provided inspirational words about Franken's strong faith and example of Christian leadership.

Following his graduation from Northwestern College in Orange City, Franken began his career at Interstates. During his early years with the company, Franken worked in various roles, including purchasing, estimating, and project delivery. From the mid-1980s to early 1990s, Franken began to focus on business development and led the company into international markets with the first project in Egypt.

In September 1995, Franken was named president and CEO of Interstates Electric and Engineering, taking over for his father, company founder John A. Franken. At the time, the company employed approximately 100 people. Over the next several years, Franken prepared the company to move forward. He began to focus on the "servant-leadership model," developed the company's vision and established the Interstates Foundation for philanthropic purposes.

In the late 1990s, under his leadership, the original construction group was expanded with the establishment of Interstates Control Systems and Interstates Engineering to join Interstates Electric. Several regional offices were opened in Indiana, Nebraska and Washington, Finally, the Harbor Group was created to provide guidance and accountability to the operating companies and provide a format for future growth. The Harbor Group added Premier Engineering of Parker, South Dakota, to the fold in 1999.

In recent years, the Interstates Companies have recorded exceptional growth, presently employing nearly 400 team members, including more than 100 in Sioux Center.

"Jim played an enormous leadership role in the Interstates Companies as chairman & CEO and was the visionary behind the creation of the Harbor Group several years ago," said Scott Peterson, the firm's chief financial officer. "He was our primary leader and we want to extend our sympathy to his family. The type of leadership that Jim provided was servant leadership and he had a special gift for seeing the potential in people and drawing that potential out. Over the past five years, his primary role was positioning each company to have leaders at all levels so that he wasn't making every small decision."

Larry Den Herder, executive vice president and long-term business partner and friend of Franken, added that while the companies will miss his leadership, Franken helped the company establish goals and values that can be passed on to new leaders.

"While we mourn his loss and will have a significant hole in both our hearts and our organizations, we firmly believe that we have the leaders in place to continue the vision that Jim had and to live out our mission to become 'Providers of Premier Services'," said Den Herder. "Our core values of dependability, integrity, trust, quality and family are just that, core. They are timeless and will not change. It is precisely because Jim modeled strong servant leadership that we feel so confident about our ability to carry on."

According to Erik Hoekstra, director for people and organizational development, the legacy that Franken left will continue into the future. "The true test of Jim's leadership at the Harbor Group and the Interstates Companies will be how we carry forward on his vision," said Hoekstra. "All the leaders in each of the companies are of one mind in that regard as we continue on as Jim would have wanted. Our prayers are certainly with his family during this tough time."

Franken's influence will be missed throughout the local community, not only in the corporate world. Franken was very involved with First Reformed Church in Sioux Center, serving as an elder and a Sunday school teacher in the church. He was also active in the youth programs, especially RCYF and SEMP. In addition, he served on the church's Vision Committee, participated in Bible studies and Promise Keepers, and sang in the Witness Quartet.

He played influential roles in several area organizations, including Northwest Iowa Community College, the Northwestern College Board of Trustees, and American State Bank. Franken was a leader in at least one national construction organization, the Associated Builders and Contractors, first as Iowa president and later as Region Two vice president with a seat on the national board.

Franken was also involved in various community organizations and committees. Sioux Center city manager Harold Schiebout noted that Franken had been involved in the Joint Airport Committee seeking to bring several communities together and plan a regional airport for Sioux County. "From the community perspective, our sympathies go out to Jim's family and co-workers," said Schiebout. "He brought a great deal of vision to the community and had outstanding business perspective."

Schiebout said that the city admires the way that the Interstate Companies have flourished under Franken's leadership. "One of his skills was that he has been able to surround himself with quality, capable people," said Schiebout. "He had the ability to lead a company which saw rapid growth."

Among Franken's survivors are his wife, Nancy; a daughter and her husband, Jaymi and Justin Vandewater of Indianapolis, Indiana; a grandchild expected this spring; a son, Gabriel Franken, a student at Northwestern College; and his father, John A., of Sioux Center.

Source: Sioux Center News, Nov. 21, 2001.
The article include a photograph.

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In the same issue of the Sioux Center News is a formal obituary:

James L. Franken, age 48, of Sioux Center died Tuesday, November 13, 2001, at Osceola Community Hospital in Sibley, Iowa. Services were held at 10:30 a.m. Friday at First Reformed Church in Sioux Center, with the Revs. Roger Voskuil, Arnold Punt and John Ornee officiating. Burial was in Memory Gardens Cemetery under the direction of the Oolman Funeral Home in Sioux Center.

James was born August 13, 1953, in Sioux Center, the son of John A. and Darlene (Sandbulte) Franken. He was raised in Sioux Center and graduated from Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, in 1975. On July 20, 1974, he married Nancy Ann Vanden Brink in Sioux Center. They made their home in Sioux Center, where Jim began his career with Interstates Electric and Engineering. Since 1995, he has served as its president and C.E.O., overseeing the company's growth from 110 to 400 employees.

Jim was a member of the First Reformed Church, where he served as an elder and a Sunday School teacher. He was also active in the youth programs there, especially R.C.Y.F. and SEMP. In addition, he served on the church's Vision Committee and participated in Bible studies and Promise Keepers.

He played influential roles in several area organizations including Northwest Iowa Community College, Northwestern College board of trustees, American State Bank and Associated Builders and Contractors.

Jim's family and faith were very important to him. He was looking forward to becoming a grandpa, and he sang in the Witness Quartet. He enjoyed fly fishing in the mountains, spending time at their lake home, reading and traveling.

Survivors include his wife; a daughter and her husband, Jaymi and Justin Vandewater of Indianapolis, Ind.; a son, Gabriel Franken, a student at Northwestern College; his father of Sioux Center; two brothers, Marlowe and John Mark Franken, both of Sioux Center; and two sisters, Janna Holmes of Miami, Florida, and Doreen Franken of Fort Myers, Florida. He was preceded in death by his mother.

Memorials may be directed to the family to establish an annual leadership scholarship at Northwestern College.

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The same obituary was published in the Siouxland Press, Orange City (Nov. 21, 2001) and the Sioux County Capital Democrat (Nov. 22, 2001).