Roots and Family, Past and Future
I moved to Johnson County with my parents in 1975. Although my father passed away in 2013, my mother still resides in Johnson County today. They had been married for 56 years.
I met my wife Cindy here in 1979 and we married in 1982. We are now going on 34 years of marriage. Cindy worked in banking until becoming our company’s bookkeeper.
We have two children, Kara and Erick. They both attended K-12 in the Johnson County School District. They both graduated from Linfield College in 2011. Linfield College is a small private Christian school in McMinnville, Oregon. Kara went on to get her Masters Degree in education and currently teaches fourth grade at Wagonwheel Elementary School in Gillette. Erick came back to Buffalo after college to join me in our business and eventually took it over in January of 2014.
We have one granddaughter, Kjerstin. She is almost 18 months old.
I feel my roots here in Johnson County run deep and have no end in sight. I have skin in the game.
Work History
When I arrived in Wyoming, money was tight. As a teenager going to high school, I took jobs at local gas stations. I mostly worked the night shift from 11:00 PM – 7:00 AM so that I could have a full work week and attend school. Next, I took a job as a maintenance worker at the Crossroads Inn. I quickly worked my way up to the management position overseeing the maintenance department. When I turned 19, the General Manager offered me a second management position overseeing the bar operation. An 80 hour work week was normal. I learned early in life how to work long and hard.
In order to meet a personal goal of self-employment, I started a roofing business from scratch. This business would be our sole income and professional focus as it grew into Dave Loden Construction, Inc. I will elaborate on this business endeavor as a later topic.
With the foresight of an exit plan, Cindy and I invested in some residential rental properties here in Johnson County. I retired from the roofing business in January of 2014 as I turned the business over to our son, Erick. I still consult for the roofing industry on occasion and help Erick out all I can.
This currently leaves me managing our rental properties in what I affectionately call semi-retirement.
Community Service
I began giving back to the community at the age of 21 when I joined the Johnson County Search and Rescue in August of 1982. Little did I know that this would become a second and volunteer career. I was voted in as the Third Lieutenant in just a few months and progressed up to Captain. This cycle would repeat itself three times before the unit decided to make officer positions semi-permanent. Even with the unit having an annual opportunity to demote me, I still serve as Captain today. The Wyoming Search and Rescue Council assembled a training cadre of eight search and rescue personnel from around the state to provide uniform state wide training. I received and accepted an invite to apply for one of the positions. Having been selected, I traveled with my peers to San Bernardino, California to receive further search and rescue training and I returned as a certified instructor. My colleagues voted me to chair this cadre. I served in this position with these people traveling the state and providing training on several aspects of search and rescue for eight years. We certified approximately 400 volunteers from around the state. I was appointed by the Governor to serve on the Wyoming Search and Rescue Council and served two terms. I also served five years as the president of the Wyoming Search and Rescue Association. Search and rescue provides service to folks of all walks of life when they are truly in need. It is an exciting way to give back to the community.
Being approached by some business colleagues, I was asked to run for a seat on the board of directors of the Western States Roofing Contractors Association. I was selected and I served here for two terms. It was a very rewarding way to serve the industry that had treated me so well.
I was an initial member of the City of Buffalo Board of Contractors and served for the duration of the board. Although this board was not very active in later years, we did tackle the controversial topic of contractor license requirements for the city.
I have always stepped up to serve my community and industry when I felt my involvement could be an asset.
Dave Loden Construction, Inc.
Upon graduating from Buffalo High School, I passed on some college opportunities. Instead of college, I set a personal goal of becoming self-employed before turning 25. I reached that goal when I started a roofing business from scratch in January of 1985. Through hard work and dedication, this business grew at a steady pace. I focused the services within the State of Wyoming, but also worked in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, California, Florida and even Guam. After a few years, I found myself tackling single projects in excess of $1,000,000.00 and 115,000 square feet. Some notable projects include The Barrett Building in Cheyenne (State Museum and Archives), the P.E. building at Montana State University in Billings, the Casper Events Center, the Criminal Justice Center in Cody, Casper City Hall and Sheridan High School. Some locally notable projects are Buffalo High School, Clear Creek Middle School, Meadowlark Elementary School, Johnson County Library and the entire Johnson County Health Care Center including the Amy Holt Care Center. In 1997 and 2002, I was awarded the “Master Contractor of the Year” award from Burke Industries. This is a national level award given to a single recipient for consistent quality and contributions to the industry. When I retired from the business, Dave Loden Construction, Inc. was one of the most respected, largest, and oldest roofing businesses in the state. It still enjoys this standing today with Erick Loden at the helm.
My Thoughts on Politicians
I feel that my opinion of most politicians today does not differ much from the average American or Johnson County resident. Most politicians seem to serve their own personal interest, that of special interest groups, or the interests of their party. It seems as though decisions are not being made with the best interest of the country or of the citizens in mind. I feel that we have a good politician when a qualified individual has an opportunity to step out of their professional and personal life to serve a term or two at the most. This individual must be open minded and independent enough to serve the constituents and the constituents only. This is my intent.
My Agenda as a Commissioner
Although I do not agree with everything all the previous commissions have done, I have no agenda to right any wrongs or fix any specific things. Conversely, I do not have a pet project or topic that I could benefit or move forward by being Commissioner. What I will do is get my bearings from the constituents of Johnson County. I will support the wishes of the majority of the people of Johnson County when that is clear to me. I do believe in the silent majority and will not sway to small groups. When I do not here a clear voice from the majority, I will use my skill set, beliefs, and conservative stance to decide for the benefit of the people and the county. I will work hard to represent you, the majority. I will not be a bureaucrat that thinks I know what is better for you than you do!
Thoughts Beyond the County
This section has little to do with county government. I am providing it to let you know who I am, where I stand, and what I believe in.
I believe in the Constitution and that we should be following it and defending it.
Politicians need to be working for “the people”. Currently, they are too entrenched and powerful. This allows them to serve other interests. If we can overcome their propaganda designed to divide us and become united, we can solve this problem through informed voting. We, the American people, have always been able to do great things and overcome great obstacles. We still can, if we are united.
Our education system needs to be restored to focus on just that; education. Our future generations need to graduate as the smartest in the world. We need the world to look to us for the best and brightest. We need to lead the way in innovation and design.
We need our jobs that went overseas to return. Young Americans need to be learning the life lesson of holding a minimum wage job during high school and college. Heads of households need and deserve to have those manufacturing and technology jobs that were exported.
I believe in the traditional definition of marriage.
I believe that we need to eliminate our dependence on foreign energy. We need to take action to continue exploration and production of domestic coal, oil, and gas while striving to minimize their environmental impact. We need to explore feasible alternate energy sources. We cannot shut down the existing sources until the alternates are proven to be feasible and dependable.
I have no issues with legal immigration or legal immigrants. Most American families would be hypocritical if they did. I do, however, have issues with illegal immigration and illegal immigrants. It is essential that we control our borders. I do not understand how anyone could think that the current porous condition of our borders can be good for America. Although my first thought about the illegal immigrants was to send them back to wherever they came from, I realize there needs to be a path for them to gain citizenship. This path needs to be as equal as possible to the path they should have taken in the first place. Additionally, I feel there needs to be some level of punishment for having broken our immigration laws to begin with. Not just limited to immigration, but generally speaking, I feel that whenever authorities know a crime has been committed, some action is necessary to pursue prosecution of that crime.
I feel that our veterans are being neglected. Not only is it an atrocity that promises made to them are being broken, but the promised level of care is not sufficient in the first place. We need to step up here.
We need to shrink our government to a level where it can exist within a fairly attainable income while paying off some principle dept. Overspending and waste must stop. Debt must be paid off. Taxes must be fair and uniform.
I understand that there is a need, on occasion, to give foreign aid to our allies. If a country is not one of our allies, we should not be supporting them. I understand there are exceptions, such as to aid in human suffrage. Our foreign aid gifts should not be given unless they are both needed and appreciated. We should not pay someone to hate us.
Our entire healthcare system is in shambles. The medical researchers, care providers, healthcare insurance providers, and the patients are all in need of improvement. The current fix is not working.
I am proud to be an American. I believe that we have the best country and government in the word. This does not mean that I turn a blind eye to the slippery slopes we have slid down. I do not have the solutions to all of the issues above. It is, however, my hope that the citizenry of the United States can somehow unite and use their power to direct this country toward some solutions so it can return to the greatness it once enjoyed.