Karen Abrahamson of the Bohning Company

Growing up as a “farm kid,” the daughter of a dairy owner in rural northern Michigan, Karen Abrahamson entered cows and pigs in the local youth show with her siblings. She still lives in Missaukee County, and her children have entered their own animals in the show. In her 30-year career, Karen has worked for a single employer: The Bohning Company. Since its founding by Rollin Bohning in 1946, the Lake City archery manufacturer has developed high-quality components for every part of the arrow, from fletching to point.

With the support of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), Bohning has significantly extended its global presence. International sales have expanded from being less than 1% of gross sales to the current level of about 25%; China is its fastest growing market, with Europe, Africa and Australia following closely behind.

The “patience, grace and support” that helps Bohning employees thrive is a signature of Karen’s approach as vice president of administrative services. In her life and career, Karen exemplifies the combination of local community and global leadership that makes Michigan an unmatched place to prosper.

I have lived in Missaukee County my entire life, mostly Falmouth and McBain, except for four years at Central Michigan University (CMU). My dad and uncle owned Buning Brothers Dairy in Falmouth. I grew up as a farm kid.  Each summer my sister, brother and I entered cows and pigs in the Missaukee Agricultural Youth Show. 

I began working at Bohning Company as a summer job after my sophomore year at CMU, in the packaging department.  Near the end of my second year, Larry Griffith, the owner of Bohning, asked what I was going to do after I graduated.  I told him I was getting married and finding a job. He told me I was going to come back and work for him. I did and I am still there, for 30 years now… two years as a summer student and 28 years in the office.

I started full time, doing new product development research and other projects, then moved into customer service. Shortly thereafter, I took over the customer service department and then as the human resources manager, as that was my major in college.

After college, I started out as the young kid. As the human resource manager, I now hire people that are younger than my own children. I greatly enjoy the people I work with; I hired most of them. I love getting to know the employees as a part of HR.

If I have learned anything, it is ‘take care of your employees.’ Be there to support them. They can make or break a business. Without good employees, things are very difficult. Often when employees are having difficulty outside of work, having a stable place for them to come each day and a group of people there to support them can make the difference.

I have enjoyed watching employees that had a rocky start at work become great long-term employees, due to Bohning allowing them some patience, grace and support when they needed it the most.

Larry told me years ago that my job was to make the other employees’ jobs easier. Often my days look very different depending on what happens. I may have plans to work on something, but one email or call can completely change the day. 

I’ve also been involved in sales for several years and got to know our customers, both in the U.S. and overseas, quite well. Bohning has been selling internationally for many years. It started out slow but has grown to be a large part of our business.  In the early 2000s we began a strong effort to grow international sales. Larry started traveling more overseas to meet with customers one on one. These visits went over very well with our customers. I have had the opportunity to visit customers in Australia and New Zealand.  It is a great way to build relationships and get to know the needs of various countries. 

Bohning continues to work hard to grow our relationships with our current customers and we look to reach new customers and countries that we have yet to serve.

As for the community, I am a member of Rehoboth Reformed Church in Lucas and a member of the Board of Education for McBain Rural Agricultural School, currently in my 11^th year and serving as secretary.  Being a part of the McBain community has been a blessing for our family. There are so many great people that make it a great place to live.  I have seen people pay $700 for a pie at a benefit auction because they want to help out a person or family that is having a difficult time.

Missaukee County is a part of beautiful Northern Michigan.  I used to tell my kids they live where other people want to vacation. I drive 25 miles to work, and it takes me 25 to 30 minutes.  I can drive this far without going through any cities or towns. I see so much wildlife, beautiful trees and fields.  It truly is a peaceful time with minimal traffic, except for the tractors on the road hauling or chopping. I do enjoy visiting the city, but I am always happy to return to the peace and quiet of Missaukee County.

I would love to see Bohning continue to grow and be here for the residents of Missaukee County for years to come. Bohning takes pride in having long-term employees.  I want Bohning to continue to be a place where people enjoy coming to work. 

The archery industry is filled with great companies and wonderful and kind people, and I hope it continues to thrive.  Kids are the future of any industry.  Kids now have so many other options for activities, and more needs to be done at the youth level to get them involved in archery. Access to archery equipment in the schools would be a great place to start, especially for kids who do not have family members involved in the sport.

I would like to see this industry continue to sustain families that are employed by its manufacturers and support people who truly enjoy the sport. For me, it is all about the wonderful people in our own company and across the industry. They make it what it is.