Jim Ryan Honored for Leading with Faith

Jim Ryan was selected as one of twelve Leading with Faith winners by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. The award recognizes business leaders whose business practices reflect the teachings of Christ and the church.

The winners were profiled in The Catholic Spirit, the newspaper of the Archdiocese.  Jim Ryan’s profile featured the Ryans’ connection between business and family, "One of the leadership lessons that my grandfather, and then my father, passed along to me was that honesty and integrity are paramount," Ryan said. "Their motto was 'always do the right thing,' and we carry that on today."

"Another lesson I learned was about how important it is to care about your employees. They are an extension of our family."

The article also speaks to the company’s promotion of voluntarism, offering support and encouragement to employees who choose to serve the broader community in many ways, including staffing lunch crews for Catholic Charities, building homes with Habitat for Humanity or participating in a company-wide United Way campaign. Ryan offers matching financial contributions to several charities supported by employees.

"For me personally, I've been so incredibly blessed by God," said Jim, a father of eight and grandfather of five. "I believe part of that was a charge to share what we can with others who are less fortunate." 

Jim spoke to the company’s involvement in the Cristo Rey Jesuit High School/ Colin Powell Youth Leadership Center project. "From the beginning, my partner and cousin, Pat Ryan, and I really had our handprint on the project in everything from fundraising to design and construction," Ryan said. "We believe education is the way out for kids who find themselves living in poverty. This was the best model we had ever seen, and the school provides an amazing opportunity for them."