“Great leaders create other leaders.”

Connie Wimer

Connie was born October 28, 1932, in Merrill Iowa. Merrill had a population of 600 and graduated High School with a class of 13. Her father was a mechanic and her mother was a stay-at-home mom. At just eight years of age, Connie had her first job and had a paper route for the Sioux City Journal. When she was nine, she applied for a local drugstore position. Connie has had a W2 form every day since the age of twelve.

After high school, Connie’s teacher Rose, helped her apply for a full tuition scholarship to attend Morningside College excluding; room and board charges. She obtained the scholarship and worked for the director of residence life at 35 cents an hour. After the first year, Connie decided to get a better job that would help pay what she owed. When she had a sufficient amount of money, she would eventually return to college, but she never did.

Connie moved to Des Moines in 1950, where she obtained a job as a legal secretary. She managed the office of two presidential candidates(Nelson Rockefeller & Harrell Hughes). Connie then became the owner and president of Iowa Title Company in the years 1976-1985. She then sold the company to Central Life Insurance but continued as president until 2001. Connie continues to work today because “she loves what she is doing.”

Connie Wimer has received many awards throughout her lifetime and has recently obtained an award called the Champion of Women by the Iowa state Business School which left her “tremendously touched.”

I will consider the day I met Connie Wimer to be one of the best of my life. I received the opportunity of a lifetime and will forever be grateful for it. Being part of the CWWL (Connie Wimer Women’s Leadership) group has allowed me and many other women to attend events and workshops that help strengthen and grow our leadership skills. The workshops and events help us embrace our talents and personalities at a higher level.

I leave you with Connie Wimer’s “5 traits to succeed in life.”

1. Integrity- “Liking yourself is so important.” “Character is who you are when no one is looking.”

2. Risk Taking- “Taking risks is like a muscle, the more you use it the stronger it becomes.”

3. Perseverance- “If you are not scared of your job, you need to get a new one.”

4. Becoming an agent of change- “The world is changing so quickly, don’t just accept change, make it happen!”

5. Creativity- “Surround yourself with people that are smarter than you are. Get comfortable with them, listen, and learn from them.”

“Disrupt Expectations”

Connie WImer