Rudeen Larsen’s polished demeanor is a dividend-paying feature that has translated into success throughout her life. Larsen, Chemi-Con Materials Corporations’ Foreign Trade Zone Logistics Coordinator, was crowned as Moses Lake’s Rodeo Queen in 1986 and is now an award-winning bodybuilder competing on a national stage. It’s apparent that Larsen’s poise and determination are overlapping qualities that bode well for her as an industry professional in Grant County.
The company Rudeen works for is owned by Japan-based Nippon Chemi-Con; Rudeen has been an employee of theirs in Moses Lake since 1997. Chemi-Con Materials Corporations is an industry-leading producer of aluminum electrolytic foil, a component of capacitators on circuit boards. Rudeen is one of 75 employees employed at the Moses Lake Chemi-Con.
“My position for Chemi-Con Materials is overseeing the operation of our Foreign Trade Zone, which is governed by US Custom rules and regulations, and handling logistics for the importing and exporting of our aluminum foil and supervising our visual inspection and packing areas. It also entails coordinating with freight forwarders and trucking companies,” Rudeen told Grant County’s Industrial Alliance.
Rudeen says her background in law enforcement gave her the transferable skills Chemi-Con was looking for. Rudeen says she spent time as a data entry clerk and dispatcher at the Moses Lake Police Department before it became the MACC 911 Center. Rudeen explained that her previous employment experience helped her acquire the skills needed to excel with other agencies like U.S. Customs.
Rudeen says she takes pride and pleasure in working for a Japanese company like Chemi-Con.
“Working for a Japanese company, I have the privilege of working a long side Japanese employee’s and their culture. Japanese values include a strong work ethic, which I believe in and value. Also, since Chemi-Con Materials is a small company, we have the benefit of really getting to know our employees like family and can focus on individual needs. Additionally, we have a great benefit package to cover the needs of each employee and their family.”
Rudeen says her employer is always looking for ways to give back and invest in the Grant County community.
“Currently, we are working with the Workforce for Alliance by providing them with materials on our various career pathways so they can write curriculum for students in their many programs. The youth today is our future and Chemi-Con see’s the value in investing time and resources in this cause.”
During the pandemic, Rudeen informed GCIA that Chemi-Con was considered as an essential business because it manufactured the capacitators that are inserted into ventilators used in hospitals for the care of coronavirus patients and others needing comparable care.
Rudeen says the community of Moses Lake has provided her everything she’s needed to succeed in life along with her family, whose roots span back to 1967.
“I grew up in Moses Lake and have lived here since 1968. My grandparents, Rudy and Iris Hoffman moved here in 1967 and purchased and ran Danny’s Tavern in downtown Moses Lake until their retirement. My dad, David Finlay was an electrician for the union and had the opportunity to work on the Phase 3 Power Project at Grand Coulee Dam in the 1970s. My mom, Linda Finlay was the director of the Moses Lake Food Bank for many years until her retirement.”
“Growing up in Moses Lake was a positive experience for me. What wonderful support I had throughout my youth, not only from my parents and family, but also the support of the community. During school I was active in both in FFA and 4-H clubs. I enjoyed all sports but excelled in softball, baseball and tennis. I graduated from Moses Lake High School in 1984 and obtained my Cosmetology License in 1987. Also, I was crowned the Moses Lake Rodeo Queen in 1986, what an honor it was to represent Moses Lake for my one-year reign.”
Most recently, a large portion of Rudeen’s extracurricular activity outside of career included her involvement as a member of the Moses Lake Soroptimist, a global women’s organization.
When she’s not doing fitness training, Rudeen spends time with family; all of whom happen to live in the community she knows and loves.
“Moses Lake has been a wonderful area to grow up and it was the place I chose to raise my own family. I am fortunate enough to live in the same community as my daughter and her husband and can see my grandkids experience many of the same things that I did as a kid in Moses Lake. We have great school districts, teachers, youth activities, recreation areas, boating, fishing, hunting, and career opportunities. Grant County is a supportive community with many opportunities, and I am so grateful to live in a place with so many opportunities.”