Fifth-Generation Employee Joins APPEARA Team

APPEARA, Norfolk, NE, President, Owner and General Manager Bob Dudley recently welcomed a member of the family’s fifth generation to the company’s staff.

Brandon Keech attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration. After graduating, he spent five years working in Lincoln, NE, before beginning his new role at APPEARA in November 2019.

Keech said coming to work at APPEARA was always in the back of his mind, but Dudley always encouraged him to look at other opportunities and earn at least five years of work experience elsewhere before deciding whether to join the staff at APPEARA.

Dudley said it’s important to bring in fresh ideas and viewpoints, and that’s something Keech can provide. Technology also has changed drastically, and members of younger generations have a great grasp on how that technology has evolved.

Since starting full time at APPEARA, Keech’s everyday responsibilities include his role as safety director, with continued goals in mind to improve the overall attitude and atmosphere on safety within the operations at the company — along with learning how the plant works and functions on an everyday basis. Both Dudley and Keech stressed that employees are the company’s top assets, and instilling that mindset within the company’s mission has been a key to developing a successful culture at APPEARA.

Dudley’s great-grandfather, George M. Dudley, and George’s brother, Charles, started the company in 1916 as a laundry business. Bob Dudley’s grandfather, Darrel Dudley, expanded the laundry business into textile rental. George R. Dudley, Bob’s father, and his uncle, Douglas, expanded the company’s reach into South Dakota. Bob Dudley joined the company in the early 1980s, becoming the fourth generation of the family to operate the company.

Since its founding, APPEARA has expanded its reach from Norfolk to a large part of Nebraska, the Sioux City, SD, area and, most recently, Sioux Falls, SD, and surrounding communities. To read the full article, click here.