Ritalka, Inc. celebrates 25th anniversary
When Kevin Wald started Ritalka, Inc. in March of 1997, it was housed in a single room of his home – a house built by C.A. Fosnes in Montevideo. At the time, Wald says he had no grandiose plan for how large the company could grow but knew he wanted to try his hand at being an entrepreneur. Wald, who had grown up in Pierre, South Dakota, was a graduate of the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics. He had started his career in Los Angeles, where he worked on ballistic missiles for land and submarine launch platforms. From there, he moved to Minnesota, completing his MBA at the University of St. Thomas and moving into a career at a company in Benson that was on the brink of becoming Case New Holland. “I knew they were getting ready to sell. I had already worked for a large corporation back in the 80s. I wasn’t excited to be with a large corporation, and so I decided I wanted to try the entrepreneurial thing,” Wald says.
