196 | Business World Magazine |
May 2013
Rubber Company, a business that sprung to
life in 1969 as a custom molder of rubber
parts. While that operation is now known as
SternManufacturing (functioning under the
second generation of family leadership via
founder’s son, Terry Stern), it is essential to
understand that Stern Companies has an ex-
ceedingly differentiated business model and
innovative approach to service, which is not
so much a byproduct of the Stern family, but
the ingenuity of another professional, name-
ly Stern Companies Owner Shawn Hunstad.
Raised in the Red River Valley region
of Minnesota, Hunstad is one of those rare
types of people that fully embrace the phi-
losophy that challenges can be overcome by
those committed to collaboration, coopera-
tion and open communication. And to be
sure, these are not simply concepts to which
he adheres in his professional obligations,
but a routine aspect of his public and per-
sonal duties as a leader on his church council
and as an elected representative on the local
school board.
More than 20 years ago, Hunstad was
hired by Stern Rubber Company as an on-
the-road salesperson. Stern Rubber Co. spe-
cialized in custom molded rubber compo-
