Each month, we are excited to proudly highlight someone from our wonderful staff here at NWRPC! Our September employee being "spotlighted" is Clem Larson, Geographic Information Systems Specialist.
Tell us a little about yourself: I am originally from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. I grew up on the shore of Lake Michigan, in Escanaba, and attended college on Lake Superior, in Marquette. In my free time, I enjoy disc golf, hiking/snowshoeing, cooking, reading, film, Detroit Red Wings hockey, and spending time with my wonderful wife and dog.
What is your role at NWRPC and what are you currently working on?
I am the Geographic Information Specialist for the Planning Commission. I take care in creating and designing the maps and graphics used to disseminate information through visual media. I also manage a library of spatial data for use in various planning projects. Currently, I’m wrapping up a series of 15 fire response wall maps for the DNR’s Gordon Ranger Station. The maps cover Douglas and Bayfield Counties, and show the locations of existing structures and fire response zones.
How long have you worked for NWRPC and what has been your proudest moment working here?
I started working for the Planning Commission in August of 2012. My proudest moment was finishing the hazardous material storage site data collection, for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. This was a huge undertaking, involving the collection of GPS points at all of the hazardous materials storage sites along the southern shore of Lake Superior, in both Wisconsin and Michigan. This project allowed me to explore several locales that I probably would never have explored otherwise, and being a new Wisconsin resident at the time, really helped me learn my way around Northwest Wisconsin.
What do you enjoy most about working at NWRPC?
What I most enjoy about working at the NWRPC are the people I meet. The staff members here are some of the kindest most helpful people you could know. Also, the people I have worked with in local government, on committees, or individually, either to help or for help, have all been stellar.
What’s your personal motto?
Stolen directly from the late Douglas Adams (Author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy):
“The quality of any advice anybody has to offer has to be judged against the quality of life they actually lead.”
Lastly, as a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
As a child I, I wanted to grow up to be either a cartoonist or comic book illustrator; unfortunately my drawing ability could not keep up with my aspirations.