Bobcat names Bois De Sioux Chapter Chair ‘Volunteer of the Year’
By Noah Rott, Bugle
Intern
Bois De Sioux Chapter Chair Randy Knight is not one for seeking recognition, but hard work does not go unnoticed. In May, Knight was named Volunteer of the Year by the Wahpeton, North Dakota, Doosan Bobcat manufacturing facility, where he works as a maintenance tech. He is only the second to receive the award, which recognizes employees who have shown outstanding commitment to the company’s recent string of community service efforts.
Knight, 59, became a RMEF life member in 1997 and soon after joined his chapter’s committee, which then only had a handful of members. A decade later he became chapter chair with aims to grow its membership. That can be tough in a small town with other large hunting and conservation clubs, says Rick Nitschke, Knight’s brother and chair of the neighboring RMEF Jamestown Chapter.
“Now we’re starting to get a pretty regular crowd. It’s becoming more of a network that it used to be, and I think my brother has had something to do with that,” he says. “Randy is a very nice guy. He doesn’t try for accolades; he just does his thing.”
Knight is the reason both his sons and Nitschke joined RMEF in the first place, Nitschke says; he bought their lifetime memberships, a generous example of his dedication. The brothers help organize each other’s annual banquets and bring in donations throughout the region. Funds recently provided a grant for archery classes at a local high school, something that Knight’s coworkers noticed.
Knight brings his volunteer spirit to work, too. The company runs employee volunteer events several times a year to give back to the community, says Bobcat Human Resources Communications Manager Brenda Richman.The staff has loved it, and so far, they have helped out a local zoo, cleaned parks and partnered with non-profits.
“Randy stepped up in a leadership role and has led many events,” Richman says.
Couple that leadership with his additional work for RMEF, and Knight’s the obvious choice for the Volunteer of the Year award.
“As I like to remind him, he’s creeping up in age,” Nitschke jokes. “But if he decides he’s going to quit, it’d be the end of the chapter.”
Luckily, Knight says he doesn’t plan on quitting. He wants to become even more involved with RMEF and other wildlife organizations.