Medina Resident, Kelly Bosch, has lived a life of meaning and gratitude, dedicated to serving others. Kelly and her husband Brian, live on Peter Lake in Medina, with their two boys, Kody, 11 and Logan, 9. When they moved to Medina in August of 2018, they followed Kelly’s parents, Colleen and Ken, who live in Wild Meadows, and Kelly’s sister, Nicole Lemmerman, and her husband Paul, who also live in Wild Meadows.
“We found the perfect country house for us and the boys, who love to be outside. With 5 ½ acres, there’s plenty of room for the boys to run outside. In the summer, they love to go fishing and swimming in our little lake and pool. At school, Kody, is on the wrestling team, and Logan on the basketball team. It’s crazy busy, but very fun.”
Kelly and Brian, who is a Senior R&D Engineer of a medical device firm, met while they were both students at Wayzata High School, and started dating in college. Today, Kelly works as a Senior Executive Recruiter at Custom Search, Inc., one of the oldest and most successful recruiting firms in the Twin Cities. The firm specializes in the Medical Device, Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, Marketing, Sales and Information Technology fields. Founded by Kelly’s father Ken Anderson in 1987, Custom Search is the “go to” executive recruiting firm for small and mid-size clients, and since 2017 has been owned by her sister, Nicole.
“Being part of the family business has always been in the back of my mind, but I didn’t feel drawn to it until 2018. Being a recruiter allows me to work from home and help others find their perfect career path,” says Kelly. “I can meet my boys at their bus stop, and I have time cook them dinner and appreciate a better work/life balance.”
For almost 15 years, Kelly had dedicated herself full-time to individuals living with developmental disabilities, something she continues to be passionate about.
While still a sociology student at the University of Minnesota, Duluth, Kelly began a part-time job as a Direct Support Professional (DSP) at Hammer Residence, a local non-profit serving individuals with developmental disabilities. “I was doing a part-time, un-paid internship at Lutheran Social Services, and my mom suggested I check out working at Hammer, since I had been working at group homes in Duluth. I started working at a group home serving four women and I was hooked.” When Kelly graduated in May of 2005, Hammer, seeing her talents, hired her to be a manager of an apartment program that was opening in New Hope, called Royal Oaks.
“My focus at Royal Oaks was to help the 12 individuals living in their own apartments be as independent as possible, and live their lives to the fullest. I was also supervising DSPs and Assistant Program Managers, in addition to stepping in for other Hammer programs that needed interim managers, and twice I was the interim scheduling manager for the 500 employees at Hammer.”
One of the 12 individuals Kelly supported was Karen Thorud. “Karen’s a self-proclaimed diva, and I love that about her! New York City had always been a dream of Karen’s, including auditioning for the historic Apollo Theater. In 2015, because of the generosity of Joe and Kathy Reis, coincidentally, also from Medina, Karen’s NYC dream came true. Karen stood in front of three judges at the Apollo and belted out the classic tune, “On Broadway”. The judges sang along as Karen ROCKED it! It was an amazing experience, and it was beyond rewarding for me to be there with her.”
Kelly is also passionate about employment opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities. “Being able to support people working in competitive, integrated employment is a no-brainer. It’s a policy I can always stand behind,” says Kelly. She has served on the board of MN APSE, Association of People Supporting Employment First, and on the Conference and Training Committee. “We put on three regional conferences around the state in Brainerd, Rochester and Willmar, which was a great way to connect with other employment professionals outside of the Twin Cities metro area.”
When Kelly stepped away from working full-time at Hammer, she continued her relationship with the individuals living in that apartment program by working twice a month as support staff. “I couldn’t just leave, as I love the relationships, the direct care, the hands-on work of serving others,” said Kelly. “And I’m proud of my connection to Hammer. On June 25th you’ll find Karen and me at Hammer’s annual Reach for Ralph fundraiser, something we both look forward to all year!”
