Mike Gostomski
Mike Gostomski knows firsthand the value of Catholic education and he has provided tremendous support to Catholic universities, high schools, elementary schools, and students. The president and CEO of Winona Heating and Ventilating (the company at which he started working at the age of 12 sweeping floors) and one of the five founders of the Fastenal Corporation, he created the Gostomski Family Foundation to help others. He and his foundation have fully sponsored (including travel, tuition, and room and board) 15 students from Poland to attend his alma mater, Saint Mary’s University in Winona. It has also paid the tuition for Jamaican students attending a Catholic school in their home country. The athletics fieldhouse at Saint Mary’s bears his surname because of the gift from he and wife Joette that made the facility possible. At Viterbo University, Gostomski has supported numerous initiatives, including the construction of the School of Nursing Building and engineering lab, the renovation of the Outdoor Athletics Complex, and the creation of the Boys & Girls Club Pathway program. Gostomski is a lifelong resident of Winona and he has been a civic leader and ambassador for the city. He also supports several other Winona organizations. Gostomski was a longtime member of the Fastenal Board of Directors and the Saint Mary’s University Board of Trustees, including a term as the chair. Saint Mary’s presented him with an honorary doctorate degree and its Heritage Award.