Copper Hall owners Jennifer (Stahmann) Ruetten ’00 and Heath Ruetten ’94, center, celebrate with family and friends at the April 2024 ribbon-cutting for the building in downtown Oshkosh that houses their event venue. Photo courtesy of Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh alumna Jennifer (Stahmann) Ruetten ‘00, daughter of a pair of dairy farmers, was sure of two things about her path after high school.
One, she was not going to be a farmer. Two, she was going to college—specifically at UW-Oshkosh where she could save money by commuting from her parents’ home in Van Dyne.
Ruetten, who majored in finance with an emphasis in entrepreneurship, shares how she converted a finance internship into a full-time job with Winnebago County and relied on her business school acumen to run Copper Hall, an event and meetings venue in downtown Oshkosh.
Owned by a pair of UWO alumni, Copper Hall event venue and office suites is located at 203 Otter St., Oshkosh.
When you were a little kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? Was college something that your parents encouraged?
In middle and high school, I wanted to be a real estate agent or work in hotel management. My parents did not go to college. I’m a first generation college student. My dad was a dairy farmer, and my mom worked in insurance. She worked out of the house. I was pretty high-achieving so there was no question that I was going to college. I chose UW-Oshkosh because I decided to save money by commuting and living with my parents.
In middle and high school, I wanted to be a real estate agent or work in hotel management. My parents did not go to college. I’m a first generation college student. My dad was a dairy farmer, and my mom worked in insurance. She worked out of the house. I was pretty high-achieving so there was no question that I was going to college. I chose UW-Oshkosh because I decided to save money by commuting and living with my parents.
What classes stood out to you and why?
I was part of the early years of the University Scholars program, which later became the Honors College. The Honors seminar class during my first semester stands out to me. I received the paperback version of The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky in the mail the summer before my first semester. It was 800 pages, 8-point font. We had to read it and have a first draft of an essay before the first day of class. I remember reading in the car when we drove to my husband’s (then boyfriend’s) family cabin about three hours away. I wasn’t scared of hard work. If that’s what you have to do, that’s what you have to do. You get it done. Our theme for the semester in that class was “love,” and we had a variety of viewpoints and some very enlightening conversations.
I was part of the early years of the University Scholars program, which later became the Honors College. The Honors seminar class during my first semester stands out to me. I received the paperback version of The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky in the mail the summer before my first semester. It was 800 pages, 8-point font. We had to read it and have a first draft of an essay before the first day of class. I remember reading in the car when we drove to my husband’s (then boyfriend’s) family cabin about three hours away. I wasn’t scared of hard work. If that’s what you have to do, that’s what you have to do. You get it done. Our theme for the semester in that class was “love,” and we had a variety of viewpoints and some very enlightening conversations.
UW-Oshkosh alumni Jennifer and Heath Ruetten, are owners of Copper Hall in Oshkosh.
How has your education at UW-Oshkosh helped you with what you do now?
I am the director of Winnebago County Information Technology and I co-own Copper Hall and Technology Planners, LLC with my husband Heath Ruetten (‘94, geography). UWO led to my internship with the Winnebago County Finance department, which led to where I am today. My career has been in IT, but starting our own small business five years ago and moving into a supervisory role at Winnebago County four years ago has certainly looped back to my business degree more recently.
I am the director of Winnebago County Information Technology and I co-own Copper Hall and Technology Planners, LLC with my husband Heath Ruetten (‘94, geography). UWO led to my internship with the Winnebago County Finance department, which led to where I am today. My career has been in IT, but starting our own small business five years ago and moving into a supervisory role at Winnebago County four years ago has certainly looped back to my business degree more recently.
Tell us about that internship.
It was an internship with the Winnebago County Finance Department where I worked on a special project. The project was doing the daily tasks of the department like bank reconciliations and investment summaries to free up time for the full-time staff who were working on the conversion to a new financial software package. The internship was supposed to last from April to December. I was graduating in December so I thought, “This will be great.” But in October, that project was ending, so my boss said they didn’t need me to work anymore. I reminded him that the internship was supposed to end in December. He said, “Well, let me see what I can do.” And he talked to the IT (information technology) director, who was a friend of his, and the IT director needed a temporary position filled, someone doing work with their billing, so a lot of spreadsheets and stuff, which was actually what I enjoyed doing and what I went to school for. So I started that and I’ve been in the IT department and moved in just about every position—telecommunications assistant, help desk, network technician, network administrator, technical support supervisor of a staff of nine. I was recently promoted to director of IT. I have 18 other people in my department. UW-Oshkosh taught me that adaptability.
It was an internship with the Winnebago County Finance Department where I worked on a special project. The project was doing the daily tasks of the department like bank reconciliations and investment summaries to free up time for the full-time staff who were working on the conversion to a new financial software package. The internship was supposed to last from April to December. I was graduating in December so I thought, “This will be great.” But in October, that project was ending, so my boss said they didn’t need me to work anymore. I reminded him that the internship was supposed to end in December. He said, “Well, let me see what I can do.” And he talked to the IT (information technology) director, who was a friend of his, and the IT director needed a temporary position filled, someone doing work with their billing, so a lot of spreadsheets and stuff, which was actually what I enjoyed doing and what I went to school for. So I started that and I’ve been in the IT department and moved in just about every position—telecommunications assistant, help desk, network technician, network administrator, technical support supervisor of a staff of nine. I was recently promoted to director of IT. I have 18 other people in my department. UW-Oshkosh taught me that adaptability.
How has your business degree from UW-Oshkosh helped prepare you to start and run Copper Hall and your other business?
My business degree helped me in all aspects of starting a business because you study all areas in the coursework. I had to make a business plan in college so I knew many of the components that we needed to consider such as forming an LLC, doing market research and a risk analysis. The financial and accounting classes were the basis for determining the return on investment and pricing structure. Marketing classes came in handy for branding and advertising.
My business degree helped me in all aspects of starting a business because you study all areas in the coursework. I had to make a business plan in college so I knew many of the components that we needed to consider such as forming an LLC, doing market research and a risk analysis. The financial and accounting classes were the basis for determining the return on investment and pricing structure. Marketing classes came in handy for branding and advertising.
Learn more:
Staying ahead of the curve at UW-Oshkosh
Study finance at UWO