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Member Spotlight By Britt Heglund. Kim and Britt met while touring the local law schools, and ended up in the same section at Hamline University School of Law, graduating in May of 2001.
Growing up in Burnsville, Kim choose to stay local for both college and law school. She attended undergrad at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, receiving her B.A. in Economics and Business. While there she had a professor, Jeanne Boeh, that encouraged her to think big and was always there for guidance. Throughout her time at Augsburg she worked at Prudential where she was able to soak up corporate culture in the employee relations department. While there, it became evident to Kim, that the glass ceiling was still firmly entrenched in corporate culture. Even with the great strides made in Kim’s lifetime, there were significant barriers for women, and especially minority women like herself, in the upper levels of management. With the recognition that many facets of corporate America were dictated in a large part by the legal system, she decided to go to law school. While at Hamline on a full scholarship, Kim continued to focus on the labor and employment law arena. She was a research fellow to study Labor Law, ADR and Employment Law and was active as a student liaison for the ABA on the Labor and Employment Law Council. It quickly became clear to Kim that a traditional law career was unlikely. Although she clerked for a short while at a law firm, she quickly realized that the world of billable hours and endless litigation held little appeal. Fortunately, she fell into a unique opportunity at a local company where she was encouraged to use her legal training on numerous projects in dynamic environment. At Menttium Corporation, Kim made a strong impression on some of the other employees, which would prove invaluable. Although Kim left Menttium for a brief time to work at Target Corporation after graduation, she was to return with a new title. The hands of fate stepped in last fall offering an unbelievable proposition. One of Kim’s former colleagues at Menttium contacted her to let her know that the company was going through some big changes and may be available for purchase. Kim seized this opportunity and with a partner (who is also a strong mentor for Kim), Lynn Pederson-Sontag, managed to buy the company. Menttium is an innovative and transformational company that was founded a little over ten years ago, when it launched a mentoring program for high achieving women professionals. Menttium’s primary purpose is to foster relationships between the mentees and mentors, challenging the mentees to stretch their potential and their thought processes through access to their mentors. Hundreds of companies have participated in the leadership development program designed by Menttium and it was a perfect fit for Kim. As Chief Operating Officer she is responsible for all of the operational areas of the company including legal, information technology, human resources, communications, finance and staff. By all accounts it has been an exhilarating adventure for Kim to walk into a viable corporation so soon after law school. And outside of work? Well, when asked what she would do if she had a day of free time she wasn’t quite sure. She knew that she would want to spend it with her friends and family, probably having brunch and catching up on things. Perhaps going to movie or reading some “junk fiction” might be on the day’s agenda as well. Kim was fortunate to grow up with a supportive family that has given her the strength to accomplish whatever has come her way. Her parents always ingrained the belief that it was important to be and do your best. Kim married her college sweetheart, Dustin Froyum, who also attended law school with her. When asked about his wife, he offered three words to describe her: intuitive, diligent and compassionate. All those who have worked or known Kim would agree that this description is quite accurate. Yet, what makes this particular member’s career so compelling is the fact that Kim has yet to reach her twenty-seventh birthday.
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