Proud to Promote One of Our Very Own – Dakota Gipper

Congratulations to one of our own, Dakota Gipper on his recent promotion to Controller and his new role on CITY’s Executive Leadership team! Dakota’s responsibilities now include overseeing accounting, financial reporting, stockroom management, and purchasing, as well as managing the daily functions of the Oelwein office to ensure smooth operations.

“I am excited about this new opportunity as Controller for CITY. It has been great to see CITY’s growth over the last few years, and I am just glad and proud that I get to be a part of it, in this role, moving forward,” Dakota says.

 

Dakota began at CITY as the Assistant Controller in March 2019, and also got experience as the Plant Manager for a couple of years before securing his dream position as the company’s Controller. Before he joined CITY in March 2019, he worked as a senior accountant at the Terex Corporation, a global manufacturer.

 

“I am excited for the opportunity to be part of CITY’s growth and contribute to the leadership team as I continues to grow and learn in this new role. I’m grateful to Cara Jensen for everything I learned while working closely with her,” Dakota said.

 

Originally, Dakota studied computer engineering at Iowa State University, but he decided to switch to accounting, and has found a passion for working with numbers. He is excited for what the future holds for CITY, particularly the growth of the healthcare division in 2023.

 

CITY President Colin Wetlaufer who is leading the new healthcare division, said “Dakota has done everything through his effort and execution since he came to CITY to be the next obvious choice for any opportunity that he’s been presented with. I’m excited to have been able to present him with this one because I know he’s ready for it.”

 

From working late hours to showing support to all of his team members, Dakota is simply someone who won’t take no for an answer, according to CITY’s Director of Communication, Emily Hauber.

 

“Dakota and people like Dakota are one of the best things about working for a company like CITY. He takes complete ownership in all things CITY, and he is the true definition of what a teammate does for their team. Dakota’s commitment to the CITY family is incredibly admirable, and I am so happy that he got to take the next step in his career with this promotion. I can’t wait to see how far he will go,” Emily said.

 

Emily is not the only CITY teammate that wanted to share their appreciation for Dakota.

 

• Des Moines Regional Manager Mark Ballo said, “Dakota is willing to do whatever it takes, and he has the one thing you cannot coach, train, or teach. He cares!”
• “Dakota, we are striving for excellence with you as our leader. Looking forward to many years with you!” —Casy Fuller, Office Assistant
• “Dakota has proven himself to be a dedicated member of the CITY team, and his hard work and commitment to the company has paid off. We are all very proud of his achievement and know that he will excel in his new role.” —Cara Jensen

 

Dakota has demonstrated what it means to be committed to CITY’s core values and his advice to others looking to seek professional growth at CITY is to always stay focused and do the best you can in any given situation that is thrown at you.

 

“Always give it your all. Make sure that you show that you truly do care, and that you are working on or what you are here for.”

 

Dakota gave an example of a time when he took on something that he wasn’t expecting to do, but showed his commitment to CITY by doing the best in the situation.

 

“A couple months after I first started, I got heavily involved in the stock room, and overseeing the stockroom purchasing and the day-to-day actions because, at the time, the then-stockroom manager was moved out to be the Production Supervisor, so we had lost some supervision back there.”

 

When Dakota is not at the office, he enjoys spending time with his wife Cally and three-year-old daughter, Zoey, in Fairbank, Iowa.

 

We at CITY are grateful to have Dakota as a leader and look forward to many more years/decades with him on our team. Congratulations again on the well-deserved promotion!