MnCCC Spotlight: Jason McCaslin


Jason Spotlight

This past year, Jason has been serving on MnCCC's Executive Board. In honor of his commitment to MnCCC and his role as a board member, we'd like to recognize Jason's outstanding work, even coordinating this year's MnCCC conference golf tournament! Here's a little snapshot about Jason: 

What was your first job?

The first employer to take a chance on me was Don’s IGA (grocery store) in Spring Valley, Minnesota.  I was hired soon after I turned 16 and spent the majority of my time bagging groceries and stocking shelves.  It wasn’t long before I was promoted to a supervisory position where I was tasked with opening and closing the store on given days throughout the week.   I still credit this opportunity for my development as a manager.

I then spent about 8 years in the food and beverage industry before beginning my quest to find an occupation for the long term.  About this time is when my uncle asked if I would be interested in property appraisal as he was looking to expand his appraisal business in Rochester; I immediately knew I found something I absolutely loved.

After a couple of years working with my uncle appraising property in the Rochester area, the “up and down” nature of the fee appraisal business pushed me to explore how I could utilize these skills in a more stable environment.  I started in Jackson County in October of 2008 and have loved it since! 

Tell us a little bit about yourself:

I was born and raised in Spring Valley, Minnesota where I lived until I moved to Austin, Minnesota.  While living in Austin I found the girl I would marry and we will be celebrating our 13th Anniversary this summer!  We have one son and he does an excellent job of keeping us on our toes!

While I have several hobbies, my favorite is golf.  I really enjoy the challenges the game provides and the number of life lessons that can be learned while on the course.  When golfing with my son, I often remind him that golf is a game which forces you to address adverse situations (frequently, depending on the day!) and how you respond to those situations will ultimately reflect in your final score. 

What interests you about MnCCC?

I know the official answer I should probably touch on is that the MnCCC provides cost-effective measures to substantially reduce technology cost to counties, but in reality, it is the comradery developed in working with so many different people in the user groups and on the MnCCC Board.  I really think the diversity of the user groups does an excellent job of exploring issues resulting in responses that encompass the problem as completely as possible.  The access to so much knowledge is truly an asset to any county employee.

What is your role on the MnCCC Board?

I currently hold the Treasurer position on the MnCCC board.  The responsibilities of the position are not as consuming as I originally believed them to be and I highly encourage anyone to explore serving on the MnCCC Board. 

While I have only served on the MnCCC Board for 10 months, it has really opened my eyes to all the benefits the MnCCC provides.  From the facilitation of user group meetings to multi-million dollar contracts, it seems the MnCCC has their fingers on the pulse of so many government issues.  I would like to commend the efforts of the MnCCC staff as the contributions they make often go unrecognized; thank you!

What is something on your bucket list you'd like to do?

I have developed a fascination of playing professional caliber golf courses and I love walking in the footsteps of some of the biggest names in the game.  This fascination began two years ago when I played Erin Hills (host of the 2017 U.S. Open).  Walking the course and recognizing where Justin Thomas drilled his 3 wood on Hole 18, or where Brooks Koepka drained the long birdie putt on Hole 15…  Even the tee shot on Hole 1 was nothing short of majestic (just a side note, I did birdie the1st hole!)!

While observing the history that has been made on each course is a remarkable experience, my bucket list is to also be able to play these courses prior to a televised tournament so I can watch the pros walk in my footsteps!  The first course on my list is TPC Deere Run which hosts the annual John Deere Classic in July.

 

 

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