Bachmeier’s work unveiled during Offutt Center for Business grand opening
Ceramic artist and art Professor Brad Bachmeier was commissioned to create a monumental 10′ x 7′ relief sculpture to commemorate the life and legacy of Ron Offutt, a 1964 Concordia alumnus who donated a substantial gift for the Concordia College Ron Offutt Center for Business. Bachmeier’s charge was to visually interpret and tell the story of Offutt, who is the founder and chairman of R.D. Offutt Co. and oversees an eight-state farming enterprise covering 160,000 acres, the largest potato farm operation in the country. In addition, Offutt owns RDO Equipment Company, the largest network of John Deere construction and agricultural equipment dealerships in the country.
The Offutt Center for Business building is now 53,000 square feet and includes 14 classroom spaces with state-of-the-art learning technology and green technologies designed for saving energy. The Bachmeier artwork is the focal point of the RDO Friends and Family Conference Room, an ultramodern space open to area businesses and organizations.
The April 27, 2013 grand opening was a special day in the history of Concordia College. Not only was the newly renovated Offutt School of Business officially dedicated, billionaire philanthropist and former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates was part of the dedication festivities.
