Congratulations to our recent Dale Carnegie graduates Heidi Joarnt, Patrick Johanneck, Tom Kornkven, Cody Oltz, Hannah Passolt, and Ted Rud!
HEI is proud to invest in our employees’ professional growth, one example is offering our staff training opportunities with
Dale Carnegie. Since 2018, nearly 50 employees have graduated from these training courses that provide communication and people skills for professionals.
Learn more about the graduates’ experience below.
HEI's graduates celebrate with their classmates. Photos are courtesy of Dale Carnegie. 
Award-Winning Participation
In addition to completing the program, the following HEI graduates earned awards!
Pictured left to right: Tom Kornkven, Hannah Passolt, Ted Rud, and Heidi Joarnt celebrating their awards.
Heidi Joarnt earned two awards:
- Outstanding Performance Award. Heidi earned this award by demonstrating her ability to energize her communication.
- Business Application Project Award (tied with Ted). Heidi earned this award for demonstrating preparation and delivery of the measurable results achieved from her Business Application Project by applying the principles of Dale Carnegie.
Patrick Johanneck earned two awards:
- Crashing Through Award. Patrick earned this award by demonstrating his ability to crash through barriers of his comfort zone with an animated presentation to the class.
- Outstanding Performance Award. Patrick earned this award for making his ideas clear by effectively demonstrating a process to the class.
Tom Kornkven earned the Outstanding Performance Award for a speech he prepared and delivered that inspired the group.
Hannah Passolt earned the Breakthrough Award. Hannah earned this award for inspiring others by sharing an experience that impacted her emotionally and powerfully. She prepared a speech about how she is inspired by her daughter, Juniper, who has shown exceptional resilience through difficult times. “Sometimes our biggest inspirations come from the smallest people in our life!” states Hannah.
Ted Rud earned two awards:
- Outstanding Performance Award. Ted earned this award for presenting an emotional and impactful life-changing incident.
- Business Application Project Award (tied with Heidi). Ted earned this award for demonstrating preparation and delivery of the measurable results achieved from his Business Application Project by applying the principles of Dale Carnegie.
Patrick Johanneck (pictured furthest on the left) and Ted Rud (pictured furthest on the right) proudly pose with their awards.
Testimonials from the Graduates
“I cannot say enough positive things about this course! I found the training to be full of practical tips that I could easily apply in my professional and personal life to better manage stress as well as enhance my communication and people skills to grow as a leader. At first, I was nervous about being outside my comfort zone and getting in front of people each week to give a short presentation. But I found over time the encouragement to practice and apply the principles that we learned each week really helped to overcome my nervousness and grow my confidence.
This isn’t a lecture-style course, it’s very interactive and engaging. I am grateful for HEI in providing this opportunity and would highly recommend this course to anyone looking to grow professionally and to gain confidence in managing their stress and worry.”
– Heidi Joarnt
“The Dale Carnegie Course was a great experience. My goals going into the program were to reduce stress and worry and to become more confident. The principles taught in the course are helping me do not only that but also help to improve my communication skills and leadership skills. The course challenges you to step out of your comfort zone, which is necessary for that improvement. I am going to continue applying the Dale Carnegie principles going forward to continue improving myself personally and professionally. I am thankful to HEI for providing me the opportunity to take the course.”
– Patrick Johanneck
“The course pushed me out of my comfort zone by speaking in front of the class each week. Every week it got easier to do. I think a lot of that was a result of the principles that were being taught in the class. I also think it got easier as others in the class shared their experiences. The class teaches the importance of relationships and how to lead. I would recommend the course to anyone looking to improve their speaking and interpersonal skills.”
– Tom Kornkven
“I went into the Dale Carnegie Course seeing it as a challenge to myself and as an opportunity to grow. I was able to reflect on myself to find my strengths and weaknesses. I learned key principles to enhance my communication and people skills to facilitate stronger relationships in my professional and personal life. Throughout the course, I was provided with opportunities and challenges to build self-confidence and leadership skills in a controlled and encouraging environment. [I'm] thankful to have participated in the Dale Carnegie Course and [am] looking forward to continuing building on the foundation it has created for me.”
– Cody Oltz
“Participating in the Dale Carnegie Course has been a big step outside of my comfort zone, which we’ve learned is one of the first feats in achieving our goals! The principles that we have been studying/implementing throughout the course have encouraged me to continue stepping outside of my comfort zone and have helped me to be a more effective teammate and confident leader in my position.
I would recommend the Dale Carnegie Course to anyone who is looking to increase their confidence, especially with leadership and communication skills. Many of the concepts of the Dale Carnegie Course might appear as “common sense”, but the course really gives participants solid strategies, unique perspectives, and genuine support for developing those skills.”
– Hannah Passolt
“The Dale Carnegie Course has been around since 1945 and is offered all around the world. After taking this course, it is easy to see why career-motivated individuals continue to attend. If you are looking to improve upon your communication skills, build confidence, find ways of dealing with stress, and develop leadership, this course is for you. They did a wonderful job of getting us out of our comfort zones and being more comfortable in doing so, which to me equates to self-growth.
I really enjoyed taking the course with other HEI colleagues and was impressed with the growth each of them displayed over the 8-week course. I plan to continue applying the Dale Carnegie principles and look forward to my future endeavors here at HEI!”
– Ted Rud
