Faces of Magnum:

Jeff Walstrom

For more than two decades, Jeff has been the glue that holds the Magnum tractor shop together.

How long have you worked at Magnum?

I’ve been with Magnum for 24 ½ years.

What do you do here at Magnum?

I’m the tractor shop manager.

I’ve been involved with different aspects of the business for about 42 years now. I started out in parts and worked in parts for most of my career. I came to Magnum to be a parts person and service writer. Then, it just kind of developed from there over the years.

What does your day-to-day look like at the tractor shop?

It’s pretty routine. I come in every morning at 6:30 and go through our yard and record all the LTD and LTL tractors. Then, I come back inside, sit down, and go through the computer to look up what needs service work and see if we have notes on anything. I also check to see if any drivers have just called in with things that need to be done. Then, I try to schedule everything in for the repairs for that day.

Is there anything that might surprise us about the work you do in the tractor shop?

The amount of paperwork and data entry that I do!

When I was in high school – way back when – I was forced to take a typing class. I sat in that class thinking to myself, “When the heck am I ever in my lifetime going to have to know how to type?” Now I wish I had paid some attention! All of the typewriters in our class were those old mechanical ones, so when you pressed the keys, you really had to bang on them. That’s kind of what I still do. I guess it’s the habit I got in to.

What’s the best part about your job?

I have a lot of freedom here. I don’t have a set schedule about the way things need to be done, so I have the freedom to choose what I do first, when I do it, and how I work it into my day. That’s probably the best part.

I also really like dealing with people. Sometimes, it isn’t as much fun as it should be – you run into issues all the time with different things – but I like working with people.

What is the hardest part of your job?

Scheduling. Like I said, there gets to be a lot of data entry and paperwork that can be overwhelming at times.

What do you like to do when you aren’t working?

I enjoy spending time with my grandkids, riding motorcycle and camping. That pretty much takes care of it. I like hunting and fishing, but I don’t do that nearly as much as I used to.

What is something about your career that you are proud of?

I’m proud of my ability to stay at a job for a long time. The job I had before I came to Magnum I was at for 17 years. Now, I’ve been at Magnum for almost 25 years.

My longevity here has a lot to do with the way that I’ve been treated at Magnum. I’ve been treated very well here, and that’s what’s kept me. Randy is a great boss to work for, and the Gadberrys have been wonderful people. That’s the biggest reason why my longevity has been what it is.

Where did you grow up?

I was born in Detroit Lakes and lived there until I was 12. Then, I lived down by the cities for a year. After that, we moved to a small town called Hitterdal, Minnesota. That’s where I graduated from high school.