Shelley and Barry Kauhl are a powerful team at home, but each has carved out their unique successful career at The Korte Company.
They play key roles in The Korte Company’s leadership, with decades of respective expertise and dedication.
Barry, as chief information officer (CIO), spearheads the company’s technological evolution. Shelley is a pivotal part of the company’s insurance operations, ensuring that every project is thoroughly covered and that Korte is safeguarded against risks.
They shine separately in their careers at work and come together as a team at home.
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Barry was raised in Marine, Illinois, where he dreamed of going into farming. “My grandparents were farmers, and I worked on my grandparent’s farm.” But when he learned the power of ones and zeros, everything changed.
It all started with gaming. “My interest in computers started when I was probably in the eighth grade. I got this Atari 400. It was actually a Visual Basic cartridge that plugged into a keyboard, and you could write programs and save them to a cassette tape and run them,” said Barry. “My only motive was to play video games, and I keyed all these ones and zeros out of a magazine and got this program that worked and played a game. That was my first foray into anything computer-related.”
That little game console set him on a path all the way to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where he honed his programming skills.
Barry’s working life began at Basler Electric in Highland, Illinois, where he also met Shelley, the woman who would later become his wife.
Shelley grew up in Highland, Illinois. It was during her summer job at Basler that she first discovered accounting.
“I thought, ‘I could do this!’ That’s why I went to Hickey Business School.” Business school opened the door to Shelley’s job at B-Line (now Eaton) and set her on a path that would lead her to Korte.
Work brings them together
Barry and Shelley first crossed paths at a Basler company event. It was the summer of ’86 at a company picnic when they met for the first time.
“We hit it off right away,” said Shelley. But they were both determined to finish their schooling before committing to a relationship. Shelley completed her program at the Hickey Business School in 1988. Then, Korte rang. “Korte called me for an interview in their accounting department. So, on December 26, 1988, I started my full-time career at Korte.”
Barry finished college at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 1990. He continued his work at Basler Electric throughout college, moving from a summer lawnmowing job to becoming a full-time programmer.
This dedication to their separate work while building a life together set a pattern for the couple. In 1990, they were married.
Separate roles, shared journey
At Korte, Shelley and Barry have struck a balance in their professional lives, each focusing on their respective roles.
Shelley started at The Korte Company in ’88 as an Accounting Clerk. In ’90, she made the move to the IT department. “I did enjoy the accounting and the technology piece, and I did that for a long time, but then it just made sense to try something new, get a new experience. So, I moved into insurance at Korte.” Now, she expertly manages the company’s policies, bonds and claims. She’s always ready to step up to a new challenge, even when it means walking into uncharted territory.
Barry continued building his career in technology. It wasn’t until 2012 that he joined The Korte Company as the director of information services. “I was always going to company events with Shelley,” said Barry. “Korte just seemed like a more personable company. It was more family-oriented. They were always doing things that other companies I worked for didn’t. So, I came onboard.”
Barry has worked in IT for his whole career and has a lot of specialized knowledge. Barry’s thorough understanding of the software development lifecycle has been pivotal to his success. He loves to apply his experience and expertise to tackling complex software integration challenges.
But while he loves his own work, Barry is most proud of the work of his first-rate team. He is dedicated to seeing them succeed in their roles. “I constantly ask myself, am I doing the right thing and advancing their careers? One of my measurements of if I’m succeeding or not is if my people are succeeding.”
Barry and his team are excited about the future of technology at The Korte Company. The world of cybersecurity and AI is rapidly advancing. “I mean, we’re thinking about things that weren’t even in our vocabulary five, ten years ago,” said Barry.
Meanwhile, Shelley is proud to mark her 36th year at Korte.
In her time at Korte, Shelley has never stopped growing and learning. While managing the Microsoft Exchange server, she took classes to advance her skills and ensure the organization’s communications were efficient and safe. When she transitioned to insurance, she took classes again to serve the Korte team, earning her Insurance Agent, Property & Casualty license in 2014.
Shelley’s meticulous attention to detail ensures that Korte’s insurance policies are always current and that the company is protected from potential risks. “I stay on top of policy dates, making sure insurance for all subcontractors is up to date,” said Shelley. “Anyone not on top of their game would not be good at this job. If there’s an incident on the job site and they don’t have insurance, it would be a bad day.”
For Barry and Shelley, the work and the personal may be in the same place, but that doesn’t mean that home life comes to the office. “We both have totally different roles. Our paths at work don’t really cross much,” said Barry.
But after work, they’re a team. “We enjoyed the Cinco de Mayo party and Casino night,” said Shelley, “And the other events they put on for our work friends at Korte. It’s a family-oriented company, and we love it.”
Building careers while growing a family
For Shelley and Barry, commitment is the boss — to their shared journey, their family, and the values that have guided them. It’s about growth, mutual support, and finding fulfillment in both their professional and personal lives.
Barry and Shelley have two children. Their daughter, a cosmetologist, has blessed them with three grandchildren, Hayes, Briggs and Maris. Their son, Brenden, now works alongside them at Korte.
Shelley and Barry cherish time with their grandchildren, traveling, and golfing. Recently, they embarked on an RV adventure.
“We bought an RV a couple of years ago, and we’ve taken our first extended trip with it this past spring to Gulf Shores,” said Barry.
Looking ahead, there’s more travel in their future. “We took our grandchildren to Disney in September and have our 35th wedding anniversary trip to Hawaii planned for April of 2025,” said Shelley.
Their dedication to building their separate careers while sharing a family and life together has been a wonderful journey for Shelley and Barry. They look forward to lots more travel with their family while they build their professional roles at The Korte Company.
