Kim Strychalski
Kim Strychalski is one of those rare people who spend their whole life working for one corporation.
After growing up with four brothers and sisters in Waukegan, Ill., Kim decided to study accounting at Ripon College, which had just about the same size student body as her high school. Four years later, Kim took a job at Baxter Healthcare.
“I was in mostly management positions,” Kim says. “I did operations and then a lot of system projects. I was there 31 years until my retirement. I worked for a lot of great people, and I hired a lot of great people. It was a good career.”
Kim’s loyalty is one of the reasons she’s a good Tri Kappa.
“It is a wonderful local organization that does great things for the local community,” Kim says. “It’s my opportunity to give back and meet a great bunch of women.”
Kim enjoys all facets of Tri Kappa, but her favorite activity is making cheeseballs. She emphasizes that it’s especially fun for her because she gets to spend time with her Alpha chapter sponsor, Tisa Bowden.
Back in 2020, Tisa started talking to Kim about Tri Kappa.
“She told me that she was involved in a great philanthropic organization here in Bloomington,” Kim says. “She said they did nice things for the community, and she really enjoyed her association with the great people involved.
“She asked me if I was interested in joining, and I said, ‘Absolutely!’ We were kind of new here, and I wanted to meet new people.”
Tisa surprised Kim with good news a few months later.
“We were at a tailgate party, and she said to me, ‘I have exciting news for you –I’d like to welcome our newest member of Tri Kappa,” Kim says.
Kim and her husband, Rick, attended the same high school, although they didn’t start dating until after graduation. After five years of seeing each other, they tied the knot. Today, they have two adult children, Ted and Anne.
“We get to go to all the class reunions together,” Kim laughs. “That makes them really nice.”
So how did a lifelong Chicago-area gal end up in Bloomington? The Strychalskis bought a home here when their son was attending Indiana University, and they liked the feel of the college town. Plus, they were looking for somewhere a tad bit warmer than northern Illinois.
B-town fit the bill.
In her retirement, Kim also is involved in Ducks Unlimited, the local Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and Wreaths Across America. She and her husband own an Airbnb in Bloomington.
More About Kim:
She was on the tennis team in college
She attended a Beatles concert at Chicago’s Comisky Park when she was 10 years old (all she heard was screaming!)
She is 100 percent Armenian, just like her friend Aggie Sarkissian
She is a Six Sigma Black Belt in process improvement
She recently judged the Monroe County 4-H Fair Queen Contest