6 OCTOBER 15, 2001
Smoke Signals
Larry Kovach: New Finance Officer is Ready to Roll
Parents were immigrants that carved out a living in Canada.
ByPetaTinda
Larry Kovach has been the Tribe's Finance
Officer since March. He was born and
raised in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.
Kovach attended Niagara University. -After
graduating Magna Cum Laude with a degree
in accounting, he went to work for Price
Waterhouse, one of the "Big Five" accounting
firms in the United States. He spent most of
his time in New York City, after which he trav
eled around working for various law firms
around the country.
: In 1998, he went to work for a venture capi
talist group for three years. One assignment
was with a professional hockey team, the El
Paso Buzzards, before coming to work in
Grand Ronde.
"I love it here, " Kovach said. "It's very much
like Niagara Falls, where I grew up,"
Kovach's background with large law firms
makes him well suited to his current position.
"Law firms operate on a consensus basis; very
similar to the Tribal Council," said Kovach.
Consensus means that everyone involved
must agree before a decision is made, which is
traditionally how Tribal governments have
been organized.
"I spent a lot of time getting people on board
with what needs to be done," said Kovach. "You
just can't issue an order. Everyone has to
agree."
As Finance Officer, Kovach is responsible for
the financial management of all Tribal entities.
"There are very few if any large corporations
that have the breadth of operations the Tribe
has," said Kovach.
He reports directly to the Tribal Council.
"My main responsibility is stewardship of
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Cruiser New Finance Officer Larry Kovach is a cer
tified public accountant in five states Ohio, Texas, New
York, New Mexico and Oregon and now brings his exper
tise to work for the Tribe in Grand Ronde. Kovach likes
to cruise his Harley when not at work.
Tribal assets," said Kovach. "The Tribe has
grown so much, so quickly, that the systems
and procedures are playing catch-up on all
fronts. :
"The Tribe has transitioned from being small
in economic terms, to being as large as some
corporate conglomerates. The Tribe has a lot
of interests," said Kovach.
Kovach has a lot of interests too. His main
passion is motorcycles specifically, Harley
Davidson's. He owns a heavily customized
1995 Road King, which he takes out for a ride
occasionally.
Kovach said he enjoys the sense of freedom
that comes with riding a motorcycle.
"It's a release," said Kovach. "When I'm on
that bike, I've got no problems, no concerns,
it's like you're on an island. You feel every
thing around you. But the slightest thing can
take you down. I think of that every time I
put my leg over that bike."
Unlike a lot of finance managers, "I don't
play golf," said Kovach. "Because I can take a
half hour and go for a ride, but not play a
game of golf.
"There's no in between with motorcycles," said
Kovach. "You either love them or you don't."
According to Kovach, the same can be said
of his profession.
"It's not a job, it's a life. It's not a job where
you punch a clock, 8 to 5. It's with you at all
times," said Kovach. "It's the type of job you
live, not work."
Tribal Youth Gain Real Job Experience
Summer Interns: "How I spent my summer'
By Justin Phillips
This summer, the Tribe's Public
Information Office had two summer
interns who were part of the Tribe's
Summer Youth Employment pro
gram. The youth employment pro
gram is part of the Education de
partment. This year 27 Tribal
youth participated.
The Youth Education coordina
tors are Lisa Leno, Dustin Harmon
and Richard Sohappy. They worked
with Education Manager Marion
Mercier, Human Resources Special
ist Cindy Watkins and Natural Re
sources staff to make this program
possible.
The eight-week program that
employs Tribal youth, ages 14-17,
is in its fourth year.
Caitlin Zimbrick and Lisa Rei
bach shared their knowledge and
dedication with Smoke Signals.
Zimbrick is a sophomore at
Willamina High School.
"I enjoyed working at Smoke Sig
nals," said Zimbrick. "This is my
second year working as a summer
intern. Last year I worked at the
preschool."
When Zimbrick isn't working or
going to school, she enjoys sports and
spending time with her friends and
family. Zimbrick's parents are Den
nis and Carrie Zimbrick. She has
two brothers, Matt and Andy, and
two sisters, Meghan and Hannah.
Reibach is also a sophomore this
year, attending Tillamook High
School.
"I know that the knowledge I've
gained from working here will help
me later on in school and other
jobs," said Reibach.
Family and friends are also a very
important part of life for Reibach.
Reibach enjoys music.
Reibach's parents are Anne and
Ron Reibach and she has an older
sister, Jamie, who is 17, and a
younger sister, Krissy, who is eight.
"I used to play flute, but have since
switched to the bassoon while also
playing bass drum in the Pep Band,"
said Reibach. "Aside from those, I
play guitar at home and have a very
eclectic taste in music, my favorites
being punk, classic jazz and swing."
Kim Mueller, the Smoke Signals
Production Coordinator, gave direc
tion to the youngsters on day-today
activities.
"It's great we can bring young
Tribal members into our office set
ting," said Mueller. "It gives them
the feeling of what it's like working
in the different phases of a news
paper scene, from designing to
writing to photography."
The program provides work ex
perience and a chance for kids to
earn money and be involved with
the Tribe.
The Summer Youth program is
again proving it's a good learning
experience for young Tribal mem
bers. For it is them who will lead
the Tribe if the future so we all must
share our wisdom and knowledge.
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Caitlin Zimbrick
Lisa Reibach
Learning Curve Summer interns Caitlin Zimbrick (top right) and Lisa Rei
bach (above) spent their summer working for Smoke Signals and getting real on
the job experience. Zimbrick attends Willamina High School and Reibach goes to
Tillamook High School.
D Preschool: Alex Bishop, Janel Lara, Jennifer Clark, Gary Guzman,
Daniel Garrison and Brett Leno
Before & After Care: Matt Zimbrick, Raymond Duran, Wendy Mercier,
Ali Holsclaw, Aliea Finney and Matthew Robertson
Business Office: Veronica Verduzco
Medical Records: Alicia Finney
Information Systems: Danny Clark and Tim Ham
Public Information: Caitlin Zimbrick and Lisa Reibach
Records: Jeremy Trammel
B Youth Center: Brittany Thomas, Christina Lara and Adrian Contreras
Natural Resources: Delia Sanchez
Groundskeeping: Kevin Linton, Jordan Tinoco and Doug Gore
Dental: Kyle Kearl -