Team Kelco
Alicia Carr
President & CEO
Trustworthy | Trendsetter | Positive
Alicia Carr took an interest in Kelco early on, working for her mother in the family business. From warehouse receiving to customer care and billing, and finally into management, Alicia has enjoyed being involved with all aspects for over 30 years. Married, with three beautiful adult children, Alicia and her husband enjoy traveling, visiting new as well as old familiar places, ice fishing in the winter months (there are a lot here in MN!) and taking the UTV out on the trails with their two dogs. In addition to all this, Alicia graduated from the mortuary science program at DMACC in the fall semester of 2019 and continues to work as an intern at a local funeral home as time allows in an effort to obtain an embalmer and funeral director’s license. Alicia feels that her passion and curiosity to acquire additional knowledge about the technical side of the products we offer will be an opportunity to take conversations to a new level when talking with clients.
Michael Berner
Sales Manager
Caring | Competetive | Kind
Mike joined the Kelco family in the autumn of 2013 as the Customer Care supervisor. Having an extensive background in sales and customer service, he quickly showed a profound interest in managing our energetic sales team. Mike has the pleasure of working closely with Selected Independent funeral homes as well as establishing new customer accounts. His drive to foster new relationships and exceed customer expectations is a top priority for Mike. These passions truly make his position as Sales Manager one of his greatest assets to the Kelco team. In his free time, he enjoys spending it with his beautiful wife and being involved in many activities with his two children (Emma and Jack). Mike is an avid sports fan, enjoying hockey, baseball, and cheering for the Green Bay Packers. Mike is excited about his future with Kelco and the growth potential that this industry has to offer.
Dedra Harper
Customer Care Specialist
Bright | Servant | Detailed
Dedra joined the Kelco team in the fall of 2019 as a Customer Care specialist. With 10 years of fast paced customer service experience, she comes from a background in data entry and administrative work. She has a passion for building a relationship with clients and is the "go-to" person in a moment of need. Dedra is passionate with every customer call and strives to offer an exceptional experience in meeting each clients needs to keep them coming back. Having moved from Oklahoma to Pastor a church with her husband and daughter, she loves discovering new places in Minnesota. Dedra enjoys hiking, singing with her family and is a "foodie" that loves trying out new restaurants.
Karen Kessler
Purchasing/Customer Care Specialist
Resourceful | Happy | Reliable
Karen joined the Kelco team in pre-spring of 2020 as a Customer Care specialist. Originating from a long history in logistics, she offers a great deal of experience in customer relations. Karen’s attention to detail is significant in her role and you’ll discover her researching and auditing customer questions and concerns to get the most ideal experience. Karen's roll has now moved to Purchasing. She ensures we have stock in all products for our customers. Outside of work, she loves to spend time with her family, reading, gardening and creating rosaries.
Meena Paradise
Customer Care Specialist
Determined | Strong-Willed | Caring
Meena joined the Kelco team in the late summer of 2021 as a Customer Care specialist. Her previous experiences in consulting, customer service, small business ownership, and administrative assistance fields have made her a great team asset. Meena's communication and follow-up with each customer allows her to focus on listening to their needs and keeping everyone happy! In her spare time, Meena enjoys camping, traveling, cooking, and volunteering within her community.
Amanda Lach
Customer Care Specialist
Family-Oriented | Empathetic | Laid-back
Amanda has been a professional in the funeral industry for over 20 years. She recently joined the Kelco team in the fall of 2022. After graduation from Mortuary Science, she became a licensed funeral director and embalmer. Her more recent experience in the death-care industry is offering pre-need funeral arrangements. Amanda finds joy in assisting families, customers and fellow FD's knowing they appreciate what she does. In her spare time, she loves to spend time with family at the lake, play a mean game of tennis and run.
Shawn Oberg
Director of IT
Creative | Adventurous | Efficient
Shawn has been working with computers all his life, but joined Kelco in the summer of 2013. He serves as our network manager, applications developer/support, web developer/support and a host of other hats worn by IT folks. Shawn can do it all, and still provide us with top notch, leading edge technological strategies to ensure we are providing our customers with the best customer experience possible. Outside of the office, Shawn enjoys coaching and watching his boys play hockey. He also spends time hunting, camping.
Sindy Fisher
Sales and Marketing Analyst
Genuine | Thoughtful | Helpful
Sindy Fisher joined Team Kelco early in 2011 as Manager of Customer Care. She has now transferred her skills into the role as Sales and Marketing Analyst, Sindy enjoys being outdoors with friends and family, and when she can’t be outdoors, she spends her time indoors reading books and watching movies.
Michelle Peterson
Marketing/Project Coordinator
Creative | Original | Giving
Michelle has enjoyed being in a variety of different roles throughout her career, including project management, technical support, as well as training and educating. All of these roles have included opportunities for creating unique and positive client experiences. Michelle joined our team in February 2014 as a Customer Care Specialist, and is now in a role of Marketing/Project Administrator. Michelle enjoys making our customer’s priority the focus in marketing materials that fit the industry. Michelle spends her free time with her family & friends, traveling, reading and is a music lover. When she needs to relieve stress, she takes to designing jewelry and creating hand-crafted items like florals, painting & "fun things" for the holidays.
Chad Goracke
Warehouse Manager
Dependable | Resourceful | Detailed
With an extensive background in inventory management, Chad joined Team Kelco in April of 2013. He served an important role in our big move to Big Lake. Chad currently serves as Kelco’s Warehouse Manager. He spends his days making sure product is flowing into the facility, onto the shelves, and then right back out to our customers. Chad spends his spare time fishing, hunting and has a passion for working on cars.
Sales Support & Accounts Payable
Reliable | Loyal | Easy-going
Lisa Shackle has enjoyed talking with and finding solutions for Kelco’s customers for more than 30 years. With a broad spectrum of product knowledge, Lisa is dedicated to finding an effective solution for each and every customer she encounters. She looks back to her most memorable moment when she was hired by Nira Mesker, and is proud of the fact that we continue to be an independent, family-owned small business just the same as many of our customers are.