Get to know Jeremy Koenen

This month we are getting to know Jeremy Koenen – a native Minnesotan, an outdoors enthusiast and a recent addition to Tamarack’s professional services team.

What led you to join the Tamarack team?

In 2014, I was recruited as a contractor by Donn Warhol, who asked if I had any interest in working on a large project for Tamarack. I've been with the company ever since and transitioned to my role as a full-time employee in July 2022.

I am now a senior developer with the professional services team. I primarily work in development, but I also do a good bit of business analysis and application support. I really enjoy working with code, discovering those hard-to-find problems and then solving them.

Have you always worked in the equipment finance industry?

After getting degrees in computer science and computer information systems, I moved to the Twin Cities, where I got my first job with the company DSI. Several years later, I shifted to working in the insurance industry which is when I got in contact with Donn and transitioned back to the equipment finance industry.

Are you a Minnesota native?

I am from Park Rapids, Minnesota. I grew up on 40 acres of land where we did everything from hunting and making ATV tracks to raising all sorts of animals. We had dairy goats, rabbits, horses, chickens and geese. My parents used the raising of animals on our land to teach us responsibility.

Throughout my years at home, we primarily lived off of the animals we hunted or owned and the produce we grew in our garden. We would drink the milk from the dairy goats most of the year. When the goats were pregnant in the winter, we would buy milk from a local dairy farm.

Moving to the Cities was a big change of pace – more people and fewer wide-open spaces. It has been interesting coming to Tamarack and meeting several people who have connections to the small town I used to call home.

What do you like to do outside of your work for Tamarack?

When I was younger, I was really into motorcycles, dirt bikes and hot rod cars. After being married for 20+ years and having a couple of kids, those hobbies are long gone, and now I spend time mostly hunting and fishing. I’m fortunate that my son really enjoys fishing, so I always have someone to go with.

I grew up with a carpenter for a dad, so I learned a lot about building things and now really enjoy doing that myself. I frequently tackle projects around my own house and for others. When I’m not doing that, I also work on cars. I like to do most of our car repairs on my own unless it’s something big that I can’t take care of at home.

What is your favorite season?

I don’t know if I can pick a season. I find that each season brings different fun things to do that I really enjoy. In the winter there’s ice fishing. In the spring there’s turkey hunting. In the summer, fishing, and in the fall there’s more fishing and hunting. I have “favorite things” from every season.