Member Spotlight

Cindy Brown, CPP is the Payroll/HRIS Manager at GN ReSound. She has been a member of the Northstar Chapter for nearly 20 years and is a former Secretary for our chapter. How long have you been in payroll? I have been in payroll for 25 years. How did you get your start in payroll? I started in payroll as a Client Service Consultant for ADP. At the time, I had no payroll experience. That job really helped me learn the nuts and bolts of payroll. What do you enjoy most about being in payroll? Aside from the variety and challenges, the people in payroll are great. Every role and person makes a direct impact on the success of an organization. This thought helped me realize that I make a direct impact by making sure that the rest of the organization receives timely pay. This allows them to focus ...

 Member Spotlight: Mary Muellner Mary is the Director of Statewide Payroll Services for the State of Minnesota/MN Management & Budget. She has been a member of the Northstar Chapter for nearly 10 years and is our Chapter’s Payroll Person of The Year! How long have you been in payroll? A little over 25 years. How did you get your start in payroll? First job out of college. Working for a local non-profit and the position allowed me to do everything (billing, A/P, JVs, Payroll) What do you enjoy most about being in payroll? The people I work with. A great team – like working with this group of people. Like to know that what we do has a positive impact, even if they have no clue what we do for them. What is the most challenging part of your job? Working in government, that can be mor...

Cathy Sarja, Payroll Specialist, Ryan Companies US, Inc. How long have you been in payroll? I have been in payroll for about 22 or 23 years. How did you get your start in payroll? I was asked to be the backup for a supervisor that was also responsible for completing payroll. After a period of time, I moved into a full-time payroll role. What do you enjoy most about being in payroll? Payroll is constantly changing, with new information to learn each year. What is the most challenging part of your job? It is difficult to keep up with employees that travel for their jobs and the required taxes that go along with these employees. What is the most interesting question you have been asked about payroll? It is always interesting to hear questions after the first payroll of the year, such as “why ...

 Member Spotlight: Teri McCaleb. Teri is the Payroll Manager for AmeriPride Services Inc. She has been a member of the Northstar Chapter for over 20 years and has also served as our Secretary during her time as a member. How long have you been in payroll? I started in payroll back in 1996 (21 years). How did you get your start in payroll? I was working for Holiday in the corporate office. I joined Holiday’s accounting department after obtaining my B.S. in Accounting from Bemidji State University. Holiday purchased Gander Mountain, but did not want to combine the payroll for two companies. Holiday asked if I wanted to try working in payroll for Gander Mountain, and I agreed. What do you enjoy most about being in payroll? Every day is a different adventure. I love learning about the new syst...

  Darcy Fischer, our Chapter Secretary has been on the Board since August 2015. You often see her smiling face when you check in for our monthly meetings.  Her favorite part of being on the Board is the interaction with all the members, and the connections it offers: names and faces, who works where, who is using which system. In her work life outside of her Board member role, she is the Payroll Supervisor at Mortenson Construction. In addition to being a supervisor, she works with Canada Expats, audits payroll for accuracy, performs account reconciliations, works on special projects as assigned and acts as a back-up for others. Most interestingly, you may have noticed her on your Minnesota Wild Season Ticket a few years ago! Her photo was ON the ticket! When she went in to renew her ...